


Linked in Life and Love - Act IV: Menagerie of Mad Maidens

by l_OmegaInfinity_l



Series: Linked in Life and Love - Full Story [4]
Category: RWBY
Genre: Action/Adventure, Adventure & Romance, BAMF Team RWBY, Dysfunctional Family, Established Relationship, F/F, F/M, Families of Choice, Family Issues, Mating Bond, Polyamory, Reincarnation, World Travel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-26
Updated: 2021-01-22
Packaged: 2021-02-27 12:06:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 38,745
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22426792
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/l_OmegaInfinity_l/pseuds/l_OmegaInfinity_l
Summary: Taurus and Cinder have been captured, the White Fang in Vale have been disbanded... but not without cost.As Team RWBY work to recover from the wounds dealt by Adam Taurus, new problems continue to arise. Jacques Schnee becomes aware of his daughter's relationship, Salem's forces move to correct Cinder's failure, and Ozpin reveals his longest kept secret... one which could answer the question: whatever happened to Summer Rose?or...This story will never die. I will take it to completion, whatever it takes.
Relationships: Blake Belladonna/Ruby Rose/Weiss Schnee/Yang Xiao Long, Ghira Belladonna/Kali Belladonna, Past Raven Branwen/Summer Rose
Series: Linked in Life and Love - Full Story [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1234649
Comments: 365
Kudos: 499





	1. Storm's Eye

**One week later**

_"Now, it is important to remember that while an Alpha Grimm is recognizable by its increased size, it is, in fact, its increased intelligence that makes it a more formidable foe. They are, simply put, leagues smarter than the average Grimm. To approach them as you would a normal Grimm is the quickest way to lose life or limb. Why, I recall the time…"_

Ruby pouted as her hand flew across the paper in front of her, fighting back a whine as her fingers throbbed. She instead let out a deep huff, blowing away the rose petals that continue to pool around her page. She wasn't entirely sure if she was actually allowed to use her Semblance to help her note-taking, but she was going to do it until told otherwise. It was the only way she could keep up and write down every word Professor Port said.

Even if her handwriting suffered for it.

She didn't bother looking up when she Felt the _Concern_ for her behind her, nor the sudden _Surprise-then-Exasperation_. She didn't need to to know Yang, just awoken from her mid-class nap, was giving her a sleepy look halfway between annoyance and pride, or Blake watching her with sad eyes as her cat ears dipped. Not to mention the half a dozen others throughout the room, alternating between sympathetic glances and confused looks.

She didn't have to look up to know they were there. She'd already seen them before. There was no point looking up from the pages of notes she had to write. She didn't have to look at Professor Port to copy down his words.

She could manage without looking up from her desk.

It had nothing to do with the empty seat she'd see if she did.

Nothing at all.

* * *

_Sunlight filtered through the trees._

_This still seemed odd to her._

_Had there always been sunlight in this forest? She couldn't remember. The colors certainly hadn't been as vibrant, the dreary grey that had once tinted the trees and foliage now lifted._

_Her nose twitched as she padded across the forest floor. She fought back the growl building at the back of her throat. The Beast was gone, but its scent lingered. She tried to ignore it as she retraced her steps. A new scent soon filled her nose, one that made her quicken her pace._

_Breaking through the brush, she stepped tentatively into the clearing, her bushy tail swaying contentedly as she took in the sight before her._

_The ground was a mix of thick grass and rich red soil. Flowers dotted the area, some familiar to her and others almost alien with their rich colors and exotic structure. The trees were smaller here, allowing the view of snowcapped mountains far,_ far _in the distance._

_A small huff of breath drew her attention away from view, her ears perking up as she looked to her right._

_Lavender eyes greeted her._

_In the shade of a fallen tree lay a lioness, its golden fur shimmering in what little light shown through the trees. A panther slept against its side, the black cat's head propped up across the back of a slumbering wolf with red-tinged black fur._

_The lioness huffed again, blinking sleepily. It made a deep growl at the back of its throat as it stared at her, sounding… annoyed._

_She got the message. She padded over to the three larger animals, cuddling up between the wolf and lioness. A paw almost as big as she was coming down next to her as the lioness put its head down, letting out a massive yawn. Within seconds, the golden beast was asleep._

_Surrounded by the other's warm bodies and strong heartbeats, she could feel the lull of sleep herself. She put her head down beside the wolf's, letting out a contented sigh._

_But before she drifted off fully, she could feel something at the back of her mind. Wasn't there something she'd meant to do? Something… she wanted to… to check? Or… or…_

* * *

_...beep… beep… beep..._

Blue eyes blinked open blearily, struggling to make out the beige ceiling that slowly came into focus. They slowly drifted to the left, towards the incessant beeping that had pulled their owner back to consciousness.

Weiss narrowed her eyes at the heart monitor, then winced as her chest _burned_. She slowed her breathing to a crawl as she'd been told to, each shallow breath feeling just as raw as the last. The pain slowly faded but never left.

She was starting to wonder if it ever would.

She slammed her eyes shut at the thought, shaking her head as much as she could to banish it.

_Surprise. Worry. Calm. Care._

Weiss let out a shaky sigh, ignoring the ache it caused. _Thanks, girls,_ she thought back at them. If she tilted her head up a bit, she could just catch a glimpse of the colored auras off in the distance, looking back at her from across the Void. _I'm okay. Focus on your classes._

As her girlfriends reluctantly turned their attention away from her, Weiss took stock of her surroundings. It took her longer than it should have to remember where she was: a private room in Beacon's infirmary. It still disconcerted her that she had no memory of being moved there, just closing her eyes on the Atlassian flagship one moment and awaking within Beacon's familiar architecture the next.

Time was starting to lose meaning as she constantly slipped in and out of consciousness, hours seeming to pass with a mere blink. One moment she'd be listening to Ruby ramble on about classes, then she'd be all alone in the middle of the night, only to find herself being awoken in the morning by Kali running a gentle hand through her hair.

 _I wonder how long I'll stay awake this time,_ she thought morosely. _I don't feel as exhausted this time, at least._

Despite her frustrations, her state of constant slumber had confirmed something for her, even if it gave her a whole slew of new questions: Something was happening with her dreams.

She'd had them intermittently ever since her team became Mates, but hadn't given them much thought at the time. They were just dreams, right? Ones that her memory of faded when she woke up, just like any other dream.

Except she kept having them. And ever since her injury, it was all she dreamed. To the point that she was starting to retain details.

And she now had suspicions that the rest of her team were having the same dreams she was, given their reactions to Adam's words the night of the ambush.

Cat… wolf… fox… lioness…

Which of course led to the glaring, terrifying question: how could he possibly know about their dreams?

Weiss groaned in frustration, forcing the thoughts away. There was no point in letting her thoughts cycle like she was. She would just have to speak with her girlfriends about it as soon as she was able. And they would have that conversation. She'd make sure of it.

Movement in her peripheral caught her eye. A TV was tucked into the upper corner of the room, playing on mute. Weiss's eyes widened when she saw Blake's father on the screen standing before a crowd of reporters with Ironwood and Ozpin flanking him. Behind them stood an odd collection of Atlassian soldiers and Vale Hunters, as well as Winter, Kali, and, most surprisingly, Ilia and Penny. Ghira gesticulated with every word, and while Weiss wished she could hear what he was saying, the news banner at the bottom of the screen gave her the gist of his speech:

_**Last Saturday: White Fang of Vale Disbanded/Arrested. Chief of Menagerie Calls Out To Other Branches** _

As she watched, the banner flashed before changing to a different headline.

_**Ironwood Pledges Support For Faunus Rights** _

Weiss watched the broadcast in awe, mesmerized by the sight of the Leader of all Faunus standing with his counterparts of both Vale and Atlas at his back. But the longer she watched, she started to notice something odd. At Ironwood's right, Winter's eyes kept darting to the side. Weiss thought her sister was looking towards Ghira at first, but the closer she looked, she realized it was, in fact, _Ozpin_ Winter kept glancing at. And… did Ozpin have a black eye?

"Weiss?"

Weiss jumped at the sudden voice, her throat bobbing as she fought off the threat of a coughing fit.

Winter looked apologetic as she stepped into the room, closing it softly behind her. "Sorry," she murmured, coming over. She sat down in the seat next to Weiss's bed, looking her sister over with concerned, critical eyes. "How are you feeling?"

Weiss took as deep of a breath as she was willing. Wincing at the ache in her chest, she tried to compare it to her earlier pains. "Better," she murmured honestly. Taking a chance, she tried to sit up. To her surprise, her chest _didn't_ feel like it was filled with shifting knives as she sat up fully, meeting her sister's wide eyes with a reassuring smile.

Winter nodded, her eyes darting from Weiss's face to her chest. Her lips twitched with unsaid words, the struggle clear on her face as she searched for what to say.

Weiss felt the corner of her lips lift as she watched her sister fidget. Winter did this every time they were alone like this, a lifetime of being cold and detached warring with the desire to be kind and comforting. Weiss wordlessly moved her hand from her stomach, turning her palm up.

Winter's brows lifted slightly. She let out a sigh before taking Weiss's hand in her own, squeezing it tightly.

They stayed like that for a few minutes, time ticking by slowly, but not uncomfortably.

"Mother called."

Okay… now it was uncomfortable.

Weiss's eyes shot wide, her mouth parting in surprise. "She… she did?"

Winter nodded slowly, a sad understanding in her eyes as she took in the look on Weiss's face. "She heard about your injury, and called asking if you were okay."

"...Oh." Weiss could say little more as she tried to think of an appropriate response. "That was… kind of her."

Winter inclined her head, giving Weiss a long look. "You're… surprised?" she asked, though her voice held little shock.

Weiss swallowed, calming herself as Winter's thumb traced the side of her palm. "Mostly that she was… _aware_ enough to bother."

Winter inhaled slowly, holding Wiess's hand tightly. "Yes, well… she sounded like she was having one of her better days."

Weiss could only nod, and Winter didn't push for a response. They both understood each other in this, knowing there was little else to say.

Before the silence could grow too tense, Winter spoke, her voice a bit brighter. "The doctors say you can leave tomorrow."

Weiss's head perked up, a spark of hope lighting in her chest. "Really?"

Winter nodded. "You can breathe without the mask and the nanites have… done all they can."

Weiss grimaced. _That_ didn't sound promising.

Winter continued regardless. "You're not fully healed yet," she clarified. "You'll still have to take it easy. You can't strain yourself, but you can go back to classes on Monday if you're up to it." Her gaze turned stern. "Barring Combat Class. You cannot participate in battle until you are _fully_ healed. Too much strain too soon could undo all the healing you've done, if not make things worse."

Weiss nodded slowly. It made sense, even if it wasn't quite what she wanted to hear. A smile crept across her face as a thought struck her. "So… I'm not Combat Ready?"

Winter blinked, then gave Weiss a thoroughly unimpressed look.

Weiss just stared back, looking completely serious.

After a moment, Winter rolled her eyes, letting out a scoff that couldn't _possibly_ be mistaken for a snort. "Not quite yet," she confirmed, her lips lifting slightly. "But soon."

Weiss laughed lightly before a cough caused her to stop. Winter leaned forward to rub her back soothingly. Weiss sighed at the feeling as they fell into silence. Then the memory of the broadcast resurfaced, making her turn curious eyes on her sister. "Winter?"

"Hmm?"

"Is everything okay? You looked… _stressed_ on TV."

Winter's eyes shot wide in an instant, her hand pausing in their movements. Her eyes darted to the TV, the news broadcast having moved on to the weather reports. "Oh. You… saw Chief Ghira's announcement."

Weiss nodded slowly. "It was muted, but I got the gist of it. But you… are you okay? You kept looking at Professor Ozpin…"

Winter tensed, pulling her hand away from Wiess's back, though thankfully not letting go of her hand. Weiss watched in shock and concern as Winter visibly struggled to find her words.

"Professor Ozpin…" she started slowly, her voice tight. "He told me, along with General Ironwood and Deputy-Headmistress Goodwitch, of a _secret_ he has been keeping. One that… I was unknowingly involved with."

Weiss blinked in surprise. "Really? What was it?" She regretted asking when Winter shot her a weak cool look.

"You know I can't tell you the Headmaster's secrets." She then sighed deeply. "Though, you likely only need to be patient. I'm sure he's going to inform you and your team shortly anyway… along with everyone else in our odd coalition." She finished her words with something shockingly close to a pout.

Confusion swirled around in Weiss's head, enough so that she could Feel her teammates poking against her aura curiously. "Is it… something bad?" she asked, unsure how to ask more succinctly.

Winter hesitated. "Not… necessarily," she said eventually. "Not bad. It just… changes things. Rather significantly." She took a deep breath, her voice gaining an edge. "And informed me that he could have changed several things for the better, had he only come forward sooner."

Weiss's brow raised at her sister's hard tone. Something else from the broadcast came to mind. But… no, it's not possible. Winter wouldn't… "Winter? Unless I'm mistaken… did Professor Ozip have a black eye during the Chief's announcement?"

Winter blinked back at her. Her eyes slowly slid to the side, away from Weiss's. "I… believe he did."

That… was far too vague of an answer. Weiss's eyes narrowed slightly. "Do you know how he got it?"

"... most likely."

Was… was Winter blushing?

"Winter," Weiss said slowly. "How mad did this secret make you?"

Winter was quiet for a minute, not meeting Wiess's eyes.

"...I understand why he kept his secret," she finally said, her voice all business as she held her head high. "I even agree with his reasoning, and that he had little other choice. There was every chance he could have made things even worse than they already are." She paused, chewing on her lip. "That being said… knowing how things could have been… I may have gotten… just a tad... _heated_."

Silence stretched on as Weiss tried to piece together everything her sister wasn't saying. Even as the pieces came together, she wouldn't believe it until she outright asked. "Winter... Did you _punch_ Professor Ozpin?"

Winter was deathly silent as she slowly turned back to Weiss, her face a hard mask.

"...I admit to nothing."

Weiss's mouth fell open. "You did…" She breathed. She let out a hard breath that made her chest ache. "You punched Professor Ozpin!"

Winter's mask was ruined as her face slowly started turning pink. "I admit to _nothing,_ " she repeated with emphasis.

"You punched-" A sudden wheeze passed Weiss's lips, quickly turning into a harsh coughing fit, buckling her at the waist.

"Weiss!" Winter dropped the act as she rushed forward, her arms hovering around her sister. "What happened? Are you-"

"... hehe _ ***cough***_ hehe _ ***cough, hic***_ , hehe…"

"Are you-" Winter blinked rapidly. "Are you… are you laughing!?" Her voice reached a near screech at the end of her words.

Weiss lifted her head, a beaming smile on her face even as her eyes wet from pain. "You… you punched… gah!" A sharp cough wracked her body, cutting off her words, but this somehow just made her laugh even harder. Weiss descended deeper into her laughing fit, her coughing reducing her to squeaky, hiccupping giggles as the two fought for dominance. Her chest burned from the pain it caused, but she found she could ignore it, if only for the moment.

Winter scoffed, wrapping an arm around Weiss to keep her from falling back, a fond half-smile on her lips. "Well, I'm glad you find it so funny. General Ironwood was _right there_. He could have court-marshaled me for striking a Vale official without provocation. Do you have any idea how _mortified_ I was when..."

Weiss gave a very unladylike snort, trying in vain to get her laughs under control as Winter continued on. The _Confusion_ buzzing at the back of her mind didn't help matters, as her Mates were no doubt wondering what was causing Wiess to lose her mind to a laughing fit.

Though it was nice to Feel Ruby's _Guilt_ lift for the first time all week.


	2. New Beginnings

**Atlassian Flagship**

_Slash, slash, block. Parry, slash, jump back. Jump, flip and twist, slash-_

_**Clang!** _

" _Ah!"_

Penny's head shot up at the hiss of pain, followed by the clang of metal hitting the ground. A combat knife made of blue and black steel skidded across the ground between her and the robot she had locked blades with. Quickly decapitating the robot, she spun around towards the noise. Green eyes shot wide, blades rattling as they shifted in the air-

"All right, Penny, Ciel! That's enough for today."

Penny froze mid-motion, her blades pulling back to her with a thought. She straightened out of her running pose, looking towards the voice in surprise. Just a few feet in front of her, Ceil sat on the ground, glancing between her and the training bot that had just disarmed her, breathing heavily.

Ironwood strode across the training room towards them, looking at the destruction surrounding the pair. Training bots lay strewn about in various states of dismemberment, their red optics either blank or narrowed down to pinpricks.

Penny retracted her blades, then offered her hand to Ceil to help her up with a smile. Ceil blinked her for a moment, glancing between the hand and her eyes, before hesitantly taking it. Penny pulled her to her feet with no effort, making Ceil give a small yelp of surprise. She quickly pulled her hand away, giving Penny an awkward nod before collecting her knife, missing how the android's smile lessened.

After taking in the carnage the two had produced, Ironwood nodded to himself. "An impressive display, for the both of you."

Penny beamed at the praise. Ceil looked surprised for a moment before gaining a satisfied smile of her own, standing up straighter.

"However…"

Their smiles faded with a blink.

Ironwood looked curiously between the two. "While you both fight impressively on your own, you don't seem to use much teamwork while fighting together. Is there a reason for that?"

Ciel's eyes shot wide, looking towards Penny. There was something in her eyes that Penny didn't recognize, subtle but clear, at least to the android. When she didn't say anything, Penny decided to answer honestly. "We've only been partners for a few weeks, sir. We are… still learning about each other."

Ironwood looked intently between the two, and Penny thought she saw Ciel's throat tighten briefly. After a moment, the General merely nodded. "Understandable. Keep at it, and before long you two will be able to read each other like the back of your hand."

Penny nodded in understanding, Ceil doing the same a moment later, a little slower. "We won't let you down, sir," Penny said brightly, snapping a salute.

Ironwood returned the smile. "I know. Now, Penny, I need a favor of you."

Penny blinked, tilting her head. "Sir?"

"I have something I need to discuss with Ms. Amitola. Could you collect her and bring her to my quarters for me?"

Penny smiled again, perking up at the mention of Ilia. "Of course, sir!"

Ironwood's smile grew at her enthusiasm. "Thank you, Penny. She should still be down in the brig helping process the White Fang." He then turned towards Ciel. "Ms. Soleil?"

Ciel straightened her back, holding her head high. "Sir?"

He held his arm out towards a nearby hallway. "Could you walk with me for a bit? There is something I'd like to discuss with you."

Ciel's jerked a little in surprise, but she soon nodded. "O-Of course, sir." Glancing one more time Penny's way, Ciel followed Ironwood out of the room.

Penny watched them go for a moment, then turned to leave down a different hallway.

She followed the winding paths with practiced ease, nodding to the various Atlas crew she passed. Along the way, she found the looks Ceil kept giving her rising to the forefront of her mind. It was a change in mannerisms Penny had not expected from the girl.

When they had first met, Ceil had seemed content to… not ignore Penny, really. More like just acknowledge her and little more. It was clear that she viewed her assignment as Penny's partner as just that: an assignment. An order she intended to follow to the letter, and nothing more.

That changed as of one week prior, after the initial meeting with Ozpin and Roman Torchwick. Ever since, Ceil had simultaneously grown more engaging with Penny and more distant. She was more willing to converse at times, but also seemed to grow uncomfortable the longer they were together.

That it was at that meeting Ceil learned of Penny's synthetic nature was not lost on her.

Penny let out a sigh as she ventured further down into the bowels of the airship. While the architecture and lighting did not change, there was a shift in mood as she entered the brig proper. The number of standing guards increased as she entered the main chamber, lining the walls between the cells marked by blue forcefields.

When she didn't see Ilia immediately, Penny walked up to the nearest guard. "Officer, do you know where I can find Ilia Amitola?"

Though she couldn't see the man's face through his helmet, the guard's tone suggested respect as he pointed across the chamber, down a side hallway. "She's speaking with a prisoner in D-block, ma'am."

Penny nodded in thanks. As she followed the guard's directions, she peered into the cells she passed. A plethora of Faunus occupied every cell, some still wearing their White Fang uniforms as opposed to the spare clothes they'd been given. All were of varying ages and types. Most seemed content to ignore everything around them, though those with animal ears and tails had their moods displayed more openly. Several glared at her as she passed, with others huddled into corners or on cots hiding their faces as their shoulders shook.

Penny frowned as she ventured further, seeing more of the same. Even a week after the battle, she still didn't know how to feel about the captured White Fang. They had been enemies, had tried to hurt and kill her first-ever friends… but they had done so while following another's orders. Like any good soldier would. Did that absolve them of any guilt? Weren't they supposed to do what they were told?

She didn't know. She'd never thought about it before.

Penny was nearing the end of the hallway, scooting around a supply cart of blankets and cleaning supplies pushed up against the wall, when she heard a familiar voice from within one of the cells.

"Do you understand why you're being held here now?"

Penny's head perked up at the sound of Ilia's voice.

"I… yes, but… please," the voice of a young boy whimpered. "I didn't mean to betray the Chief, I just… I thought…"

"That everything Adam said was right?" responded Ilia's voice, soft and understanding. "And it was the only way to make things better?"

Penny paused in her approach, her expression turning curious as she listened.

"Yes! I… I…" The boy's voice faded into soft sobs.

"Hey…" There was a shifting of fabric, Penny visualizing Ilia sitting beside the boy on the bed. "You won't get any judgment from me. I thought the same thing until I had the truth shoved in my face."

The boy sniffled for a minute, then brokenly asked, "What… what do I do?"

"Just answer their questions honestly. Chief Ghira and Kali are working for everyone to be judged fairly, but you have to meet them halfway."

"I… okay…"

"Is there anyone we can call for you? Family… a neighbor, maybe?"

"...no… they… they're all gone…"

"... okay. Do… do you need anything?"

"A… Another blanket would be nice."

Penny blinked, her head whipping back towards the cart she'd passed. Her feet were already moving once her eyes locked onto the stack of blankets. She picked up the first one she saw, walking back just as she heard Ilia's response.

"I'll see what I can…" She looked up when Penny knocked on the door frame. Her blue eyes shot wide. "Penny?"

Penny offered her a subdued smile, looking over the scene. Ilia sat on the small cot against the far wall, her arm wrapped around a lanky boy with cropped black hair and pale skin, his face hidden against her shoulder. "I… overheard," Penny said lamely, gesturing to the blanket draped over her arm.

Ilia's brows rose, her mouth parting, before giving a small smile. She whispered something into the boy's ear, gently unwrapping her arm from his shoulders. She walked to the doorway, eyes darting towards where the forcefield controls were on Penny's side of the wall. Understanding, Penny hit the control, the forcefield between them fizzing out. Ilia took the blanket with a thankful look.

"General Ironwood wants to speak with you," Penny whispered.

Ilia's eyes widened. She pulled her lips to a fine line, giving a stiff nod. Then she turned around, moving to wrap the blanket around the boy's shoulders.

As Ilia fiddled with the blanket, the boy looked over her shoulders, meeting Penny's eyes, revealing the scales patterned across his face, surrounding brown eyes with oversized pupils. Penny met his gaze curiously.

"Miss Kali will be down later today to help the guards ask people questions," Ilia said softly to the boy. "Whatever she asks you, answer her honestly, okay? She really does want to help."

The boy nodded slowly. "Okay." He hesitated, before quietly adding, "Thank you… for talking."

Ilia flashed him a small smile. "You're very welcome."

Penny waited by the door while Ilia said her goodbyes. Once she'd exited the cell, Penny reactivated the forcefield, watching through it as the boy huddled in the corner of the bed, hiding his head under the blanket.

"Let's go," Ilia murmured, before starting quickly down the hall.

Penny followed behind Ilia, almost having to jog to keep up. As they made their way out of the brig, a few of the prisoners glared at Ilia, a few even growling as they passed. Ilia didn't look at any of them, her shoulders tense until they got to the stairs.

It wasn't until they'd gone up two decks that Penny felt it was okay to speak. "Friend Ilia? Are you… okay?"

Ilia paused partway up the stairwell, her grip on the railing tightening. Penny thought she had misread the Faunus's willingness to talk when Ilia sighed. "Not really," she admitted, taking the stairs at a slower pace.

Penny grimaced as she followed. "I'm… sorry. I didn't mean to be rude."

Ilia shook her head. "It's okay. I'm fine, really, it's just…" She sighed as they reached the top deck. "Seeing them all down there… it's hard."

Penny frowned. "Because… they were your allies?"

Ilia looked back at her, narrowing her eyes briefly. She relaxed quickly, shaking her head. "It's… more than that, Penny." She huffed as Penny drew up beside her. "For a lot of us, the White Fang wasn't just a movement or… organization. It was… safety. A place, a _people_ , you could go to that would shield you from a world that was out to get you at every turn. Where you knew you'd be accepted, no matter what. Where you had a purpose, where you knew that you were working towards something great… even if it didn't feel or seem like it all the time."

Penny's eyes darted back and forth as she puzzled over Ilia's words. "But… wasn't that all Taurus's deception?"

Ilia let out a low growl of frustration at the ground. "I know that _now_. But the people down there? They didn't. Most of them still don't. Or if they do, they're not going to admit it." She huffed out a mirthless laugh. "And then there are the ones that _did_ know and just don't care. The ones that just want to hurt humans."

Penny wasn't sure what to say to that. "But… the ones that don't?"

Ilia stared at the ground for a long moment. She stopped walking next to a large window, showing the Vale countryside far below. She gazed out at Beacon Academy. "... a lot of them are just scared. They got caught up in Adam's speeches and charisma, accepting everything he said at face value. And… I think it's just now hitting them what all they did in his name. That it was wrong… and _they_ are going to have to pay for Adam's vendetta against humans."

A question popped into Penny's head, but she hesitated before voicing it. "Do you know what the General and the Chief are going to do with them? The White Fang, I mean."

To her surprise, Ilia just huffed tiredly. "I know the unrepentant ones are going to jail. The ones that are cooperating?" She shook her head. "I don't know."

Penny bit her lip, something she'd seen Weiss do whenever the heiress was thinking hard. "General Ironwood is a good man," she said with the utmost confidence. "He'll be fair to them."

"... I think I believe that." Ilia's sounded like she'd just surprised herself with that statement. "It's just… how fair can you be after… all this?" She gestured out at the Vale skyline.

Penny struggled for a response, trying to think of something that would make Ilia feel better. "Well… maybe you can ask him when we see him?" she finally managed.

Ilia blinked, looking over to Penny in surprise. Realization lit in her eyes. "Right! He wanted to speak to me." She started back down the hall, Penny automatically falling into step with her. "Do you have any idea what he wanted?"

Penny shook her head. "No. Sorry. He just wanted me to bring you to him."

Ilia hummed in response. "Guess I'll find out."

With a few more turns down identical-looking hallways, they finally reached the General's quarters. Ilia hesitated once they were standing outside the door, but didn't stop Penny when she reached to knock on it.

" _Enter,"_ they heard from within. Penny and Ilia shared a confused look. The voice was clearly female.

Penny opened the door, revealing a sparse room with the same white/chrome walls of the rest of the ship. The only furniture to be seen were a few black leather loveseats and armchairs, surrounding a glass-topped coffee table. To their surprise, Ciel sat in one of the armchairs, wringing her hands nervously. She looked up at their entrance, standing quickly.

"Penny! Ms… Ilia." She swallowed nervously. "You're both here. Good! That's… good."

"Ceil?" Penny questioned. "Where is General Ironwood?"

Ciel cleared her throat, eyes darting quickly between the android and the Faunus. She gestured towards a door on the far wall. "Waiting for you right through there. He, um… wanted me to welcome you."

Ilia rose a brow at the girl's nervousness. "What's going on?"

Ciel started wringing her hands again, eyes darting towards the door. "The General will explain everything." Without another word, Ciel darted towards the door and disappeared inside. "Sir? They're here!"

Ilia blinked at the girl's sudden disappearance, sharing a shrug with Penny. The two followed after her, stepping into the room.

The first thing that caught their eye was a massive hologram of a world map taking up what otherwise was a blank wall. General Ironwood stood before it, focusing on the shape of Atlas at the top. And beside him…

"Chief?"

Chief Ghira turned at Ilia's exclamation, smiling widely. "Ilia. Penny. Good to see you both."

Penny looked around the room as Ilia gawked at the Chief. It appeared to be a simple office, with a metallic black desk being the only piece of furniture. Ciel stood next to the desk, chewing nervously on her thumbnail. "Sir...s? Did you require us both?"

Ironwood turned away from the map, a kind look on his face. "Indeed we do, Penny. All three of you, in fact."

Ilia's eyes narrowed suspiciously, looking between the General and the Chief. "For... what? What's this about?"

Ironwood shared a look with Ghira, taking a deep breath. "It's a bit complicated. You see, I had a talk with Ozpin that revealed to me several… _complicated_ things…" The General's face darkened for a moment, before he shook his head, clearing it. "But one thing that we agreed on was that we need to improve relations between the kingdoms. And… Ozpin had a…" the General sighed. "Rather compelling idea. And after last week's conflict… I am forced to agree with its merit."

"And…" Ilia said slowly, eyes darting between the two leaders. "This involves me?"

"If you wish it to," Ghira said. "I could find someone else, but when Ironwood approached me, you were the first person to come to mind."

Ilia blinked, her skin pinking slightly, startling Ciel. "R-Really?" She pinked further when her voice squeaked, clearing her throat as she willed her skin back to its usual hue. "I-I mean… I'm honored, sir. What do you need of me?"

Ghira smiled at her enthusiasm. "Well, before we go any further, I have to ask, Ilia: have you already given thought to what you're going to do once the situation here in Vale is wrapped up?"

Ilia's brow rose in surprise, her eyes widening. "U-Um…" She stuttered. "W-Well...I… thought I'd be helping you with the other White Fang branches." She swallowed nervously. "Otherwise… I guess I'd go back to Menagerie and…" Her mouth worked silently for a moment, before she gave a weak shrug, defeated. "I honestly don't know, sir."

Gira nodded thoughtfully, as if expecting such an answer. "Well, rest assured I would certainly appreciate your help with the other branches." He then shared a look with Ironwood, and both men grinned. "But I think the General and I have come up with another way you can help Faunuskind repair relations with humankind. If you're willing, of course." His gaze then slid to Penny. "And you as well, Miss Polendina."

Ilia started, looking to Penny in surprise. The synthetic girl seemed just as surprised, given the quizzical tilt of her head. "I'm… willing to help however I can, sir," Penny answered after a moment. "Just… how?"

Ghira's smile grew, stepping forward to put a hand on both girls' shoulders. "By showing the world that Vale, Atlas, _and_ Menagerie can work together. Equally."

The girls shared a startled look, at the same time Ciel started massaging her forehead. Ironwood chuckled slightly as he put a hand on the dark-skinned girl's shoulder in sympathy, before saying, "There's just one thing we have to do first."

* * *

**Vale Headmaster's Office**

"This is… everything?"

Roman swallowed thickly as he watched Ozpin's eyes flick across one of many pages from the inches-thick document he held, each word written in Roman's untidy scrawl. The Headmaster's brow was pinched in a way that betrayed disappointment and anger, Goodwitch standing at his shoulder with her own copy of the document, her mouth parted as she flipped through its pages.

Roman shared a glance with Neo, the girl fidgeting nervously with her parasol. "Everything we can remember…"

Ozpin let out an agitated huff, shuffling the papers into an orderly pile as he shook his head. Roman found that he really couldn't blame him. When the Headmaster asked him to list out everything he'd be pardoning the ex-criminal for, he probably didn't expect to get the man's biography.

Most of it was the standard fare, as far as Roman was concerned. Smuggling, larceny, blackmail, the occasional bouts of fraud or kidnapping, tax evasion…

A _lot_ of tax evasion…

But he had a feeling he knew what was catching the Headmaster's eye the most, what was causing his brow to furrow and face to darken the more he read.

The deaths.

Deals gone bad, betrayals of his trust, unfortunate morons who were at the wrong place at the wrong time; Roman hadn't realized just how much blood was on his hands until he started putting it all on paper. He'd killed a lot of people…

...was it bad that he didn't feel all that guilty about it?

…

...eh. Probably.

"So, what happens now?" he said with his arms crossed. Maybe if he ignored the elephant in the room it would go away.

He swallowed hard at Ozpin's harsh look, Goodwitch mirroring him. The Headmaster obviously knew what he was trying to do and was not amused. Letting out a heavy breath, Ozpin shuffled the papers into a neat stack, setting it aside. "We'll cross-reference this information with known records and see if they line up with any existing cold cases. Provide closure if possible." He folded his hands atop the desk, the mask of calm Headmaster back in place despite the fire in his eyes. "You realize that your status as an 'undercover agent' will only cover your crimes committed in the past? Any illegal activity you commit from this point forward will be treated as such." He leaned forward with a deceptively friendly smile. "Especially now that we'll have a good idea of how you operate."

Roman grumbled under his breath, Neo shooting him a worried look. "Yeah, we figured we'd be burned. Eleven years of hard work, up in flames in under a month. Fan- _fucking_ -tastic."

Goodwitch glared at him, likely for his crass language, while Ozpin merely rose a brow. "You regret all you've done to aid your family?"

Roman snorted at the obvious jab. "Regret that I helped them? No. Pissed I've got to deal with the fallout? Beyond belief."

"Do you have no plans for the future? I would have thought a man of your… _caliber_ would have had contingencies in place for having your criminal enterprises removed."

The conman rolled his eyes. "Yeah, tons. Only problem is, they all end with 'and then we keep quiet until it blows over, then start again'. You pretty much made so there won't ever be an _'again'_. I got a pretty penny stashed away-"

"Which I suggest you not mention again outside this room…" Ozpin cut in with a severe look.

Roman cleared his throat, before continuing easily. "...like I said, I'll need a new source of income eventually, given that all my previous avenues have been quite thoroughly shot to hell."

Goodwitch scoffed at his sarcastic tone. "You could try doing actual honest work, for once."

Roman gave her an unimpressed look. "Yes, because, among other things, I have such a _stunning_ resume to start handing out."

"Truthfully, Mr. Rose," Ozpin said, his lips quirking upwards. "You have no need for a resume, given that you were never unemployed."

Roman blinked, before letting out a scoff. "Oz, you can push paper around all day to make this undercover story look legit, but _come on_. I am _not_ a Hunter anymore. I don't _want_ to be a Hunter anymore. Hell, I wasn't even that good of one before I went AWOL."

Ozpin hummed, turning to his computer briefly. "You weren't a terrible one either, Roman, according to your record. You had little issue completing the minimum mission requirements per year, and you had few complaints during your tenure."

" _Yeah_ , because I tagged along with Summer and her team for nearly all of them." Removing his bowler hat for a moment, Roman ran a hand through his hair, letting out an agitated breath. "Look, enough dancing around it. You already got your mind set on something. What do you want from me?"

Ozpin merely rose a brow. "Only for you to follow through on our cover story." He gave Goodwitch an expectant look. For a moment, it looked like the ever-loyal Deputy-Headmistress was going to rebel against the old man, given the grimace she sent him in return. Then, with a disdainful scoff, she pulled from her coat pocket a small rectangle of metal.

Roman groaned. "Oh, you're not joking."

Ozpin took the little bar of metal from Goodwitch, hitting a button on its side. A flat blue hologram appeared out its side. Roman could already make out his picture through its reverse side. The headmaster looked over the hologram for a moment, then up at Roman. "Officially, you are coming off a long-term deep undercover operation to infiltrate a criminal underbelly spanning all four kingdoms. You will be credited, rightfully so, for the prevention of a massive attack on the Capital of Vale, that could have led to the complete destruction of the Kingdom proper. You deemed such a massive threat a reasonable enough situation to break your cover. An action that your commanding officer, myself, has reviewed and accepted. You are to be removed from your undercover status and added back to the active ranks of Vale's Huntsmen, effective immediately."

While Roman's eyes stayed narrowed, his brow rose slightly. It sounded… interesting. With such a story, along with Ozpin and Ironwood's backing, he could believably go back to Hunting. Hell, if they made his actions against Taurus public like it sounded… he might actually come out looking like some kind of... hero.

From Roman Torchwick, Master Criminal, to Roman Rose, Savior of Vale.

There could be no better con.

It did sound… appealing.

"And if I decline?" Roman couldn't help but ask.

Ozpin was silent, weighing the license in his hand. "If you decline… your criminal record will still be expunged. We will keep your part in Taurus and Cinder Fall's operations a secret. And you will be allowed to walk away, free and clear to follow whatever other path you wish." His eyes sharpened, leaning forward to peer over his pince-nez. "However… should you be caught breaking the law again, we will act. And I promise you, Roman…" He placed a hand over the stack of offenses sitting on the desk. "There will be no second chances."

Silence fell over the room as Ozpin's words sank in. Roman thought hard. In theory… he could go right back to what he was doing before meeting Cinder. Pick up and move to another Kingdom, of course, but it was… doable. Ozpin and Ironwood were good, but they couldn't reach everywhere. And Roman knew how to be quiet. He could spend years rebuilding his reputation before either of the world leaders caught wind, become just as, if not more successful than he already was. Being able to use Taurus and Cinder as an example of how useful he could be while also showing what would happen if he was crossed.

Again… appealing.

…

...although… it would make seeing his nieces… _problematic_.

Though, they had enough family to keep them safe and happy, especially now that Raven was talking to them.

...who would no doubt be pissed beyond belief at him. Not that it would be anything new, but…

Roman was pulled from his thoughts by the feeling of eyes on him. He turned his head to find Neo's mismatched eyes looking up at him. The girl was twisting her parasol in her hands nearly to the breaking point, practically vibrating from stress. The look on her face showed that she was fully aware of how little control she had at the moment, how out of her depth she was.

Roman met her gaze evenly. Then, with a sigh, a small smirk slowly spread over his lips. "Well, with an offer like that…" He turned back to Ozpin. "... how can I refuse?"

The Headmaster smiled in turn. "I'm happy to hear that, Mr. Rose." He pressed his thumb against the hologram until it made a small beep. He then held it out to his deputy with an expectant look. Goodwitch let out a deep huff, her eyes turning skyward, before reluctantly doing the same, the word 'APPROVED' flashing across the screen in bright bold green.

Roman grinned as he took the freshly processed license from Ozpin, looking it over. His own handsome mug smirked back at him. _Huh. New picture. Don't remember taking that, but with all the cameras in this place…_ He was unsurprised to see his real name printed at the top, much as it rankled him. He'd put a lot of thought into 'Torchwick', but there was no helping it. He was about to close the hologram before a bit of text along the bottom caught his eye.

**Status: Part-time**

_What?_ he thought in confusion, reading further.

**Hunter cleared for light-duty due to…**

"Mental Strain!?" Roman shouted, looking up from the license, appalled.

Ozpin met him with an even gaze. "It's believable enough, given the length of your 'assignment'. It will lessen your yearly mission quota minimum by half, allowing you time to acclimate once again to the life of a Hunter."

"Yeah, except everyone will think I'm crazy!"

Ozpin's response was looking pointedly at the novel-length document sitting between them. His brow rose expectantly.

Roman met his gaze for a moment, before huffing out a defeated chuckle. "Point taken." He looked at the license again with disdain before stuffing it in his breast pocket. He gave Neo a fake-smirk, the girl looking between him and Ozpin like the two had been conversing in tounges. "Well, kiddo. Looks like we're going legit."

Neo stared back at him with wide eyes, and Roman fought a wince. Her eyes were too shocked and too lost for what should have been good news.

"Which reminds me," Ozpin said, his gaze flicking to Neo momentarily before focusing back on Roman. "There is one more issue we must address before you leave."

Roman let out an exaggerated sigh. "Which would be… _boss?_ "

"It regards your young ward here." The ex-criminals tensed, Neo's posture going ram-rod straight. Ozpin continued like he didn't notice. "She's rather impressively skilled given that I've found no record of a girl of her description at any registered Academy throughout the kingdoms. Would you mind explaining where and how she became such a fighter?"

Neo looked to Roman, her eyes pleading. What for, Roman couldn't quite suss out. "I taught her a few things," he admitted nonchalantly, much to Neo's surprise and distress. "Can't take all the credit. A lot of it she figured out herself through trial and error over the years. I just helped… smooth out a few rough spots. Y'know," He turned a smirk at the mute. "On the rare occasion she stopped glaring and listened to me."

The angry look she was sending his way only proved his point, much to the girl's likely chagrin.

Ozpin just nodded at Roman's words with an easy smile, as if expecting them. "Homeschooled, then." He briefly turned back to his computer, typing quickly with one hand.

Neo and Roman stiffened at the sudden action, sharing a quick look. "Why, uh…. Why are you asking?" Roman asked with feigned nonchalance.

Ozpin looked back to them, intertwining his fingers as he propped his elbows on his desk. "Because Ms. Neo," he said to Neo directly, much to her shock. "Your situation is a bit more complicated than your 'father's'." He smiled when the girl grimaced. "Pardoning Roman is a relatively simple task for me, given that he is an alumnus of my school, and that as he was 'undercover', he has technically committed no crime."

"Yeah, hehe…" Roman chuckled, rubbing the back of his head with a plastered on smile. "Lucky that, huh?"

Ozpin leveled him with an unimpressed look. "Quite." He looked back to Neo. "You, however, are a different matter. Simply put, you don't exist in a legal sense. You have no official training. Roman was never registered to take on a student of his own. Your weapon is unregistered, nor have you been approved to wield one. This… complicates things."

Roman saw Neo's throat bob, the faint shaking of her irises betraying how overwhelmed she was. "So… what does this mean?" he asked for her, making the girl look to him in surprise. "Cuz, sorry Old Man, but pardon or no pardon, I ain't letting you throw her in jail."

Neo's head perked up at his words, her mouth parting slightly. 'What?' he could see her mouth.

Ozpin seemed similarly surprised if his raised brow was any indication. "You would fight for her freedom, against me?"

Roman snorted, shrugging "I've done dumber things."

To his surprise, Ozpin grinned. "That would not surprise me." He tapped some more on his keyboard. "Luckily, that shouldn't be an issue. I believe I've come up with a solution, one that would have future benefits for you, young lady."

Roman and Neo shared a startled, suspicious look. "And, that is?" Roman asked slowly.

Ozpin turned back from his computer and… oh, great, Goodwitch was tapping away at her scroll again. "Roman…" The Headmaster started. "You are _officially_ registered as Neopolotin's father, are you not?"

Roman rolled his eyes. This again… "On paper, yeah."

"Then this is ultimately your decision, as her legal guardian. You see, I'm curious: with all the training that you've already given Miss Neo-"

He was interrupted by the chime of the arriving elevator. Roman and Neo turned in surprise to the opening doors, as a curious Penny, nervous Ilia, and baffled Ciel were led in by a stern-looking Ironwood.

Ozpin grinned as Roman turned back to him, the conman's face gobsmacked as he put the pieces together. He rose an amused brow as Neo looked quickly between them and the approaching group, one step behind.

His next words sent the girl's jaw to the floor.

The Headmaster's grin grew as he asked Roman, "Have you put any thought into furthering her education?"


	3. Quoth

_Bzzt..._

Ruby's eyes snapped open, darkness greeting her. She fumbled blindly for a moment for her PJ's pants pocket, her fingers finally closing around her scroll to stop its buzzing.

A grunt behind her made her freeze.

Ruby stayed perfectly still, now aware of the arm hanging over her middle, holding her close. She could feel Blake's breath against her neck as the Faunus mumbled in her sleep. Seconds felt like an eternity as she waited to see what Blake would do.

To her relief, she felt Blake's breathing even out quickly, the arm around her going loose. A low purr soon filled the room.

Ruby let out a breath, allowing herself to just lay there a moment, listening to Blake's purrs and Yang's soft snores coming from the opposite side of the bed. Just to be sure, she closed her eyes and stretched out her senses.

The Void was growing more familiar the more she looked into it. Tilting her head to the right, she peered back at the muted violet and yellow forms behind her, confirming that her bedmates were truly asleep.

Before she opened her eyes, her attention was drawn to the only other source of light in the Void, little more than a dim white speck far off in the distance several floors and buildings away.

Ruby's face pinched, the corners of her eyes tingling the longer she looked. Despite the feelings of _Calm_ and _Contentedness_ around her, even from the slumbering white light in the distance, all she could feel was the growing pit gnawing at her stomach. She gave her head a small shake, her eyes opening as she blinked back the tears.

She lay for only a moment more, feeling Blake's heartbeat against her back, before slowly lifting her arm. She reached behind her head, ghosting her hand across Blake's cheek until it was right behind the Faunus's human ear. She pressed her fingers against soft skin, scratching gently with her nails.

The response was near-instant, Blake's back tensing as her purring hitched. Her arm lifted just enough for Ruby to roll out of her grasp, rushing to her knees to kneel on the oversized bed. She quickly grabbed her pillow, planning to put it in Blake's arms in her place, only to watch as the cat-girl rolled over in her sleep, instead draping it over Yang's snoring form, her purrs unbroken.

Ruby's shoulders fell in relief, setting her pillow down at her side. She watched as Blake got comfortable laying against Yang, curling up against the blonde's side to use her chest as a pillow. Yang took no notice, laying on her back with her arms up haphazardly, practically taking up the space of two people all on her own.

A smile slowly formed on Ruby's lips at the sight. For a fleeting moment, she considered just laying back down, wrapping her arms around Blake and going back to sleep. Her brow pinched as reality slammed back into her, and she took a determined breath. She crawled out of bed, careful not to jostle the slumbering partners. She tiptoed quickly across the carpet, snagging her cloak off the back of the desk chair as she passed it. She wrapped it over her shoulders and put her hood up once she'd reached the door.

_"...arr?"_

Ruby froze, eyes darting towards the high-pitch yawn from across the opposite side of the room.

Zwei stared back at her, poking his head out of the blanket-cocoon he'd made for himself atop Blake's old bed. (Which he seemed to have claimed as his own when he realized the Faunus no longer slept in it, much to Blake's ire.) The corgi tilted his head curiously, letting out a light yip.

Ruby flinched, looking back towards her sleeping team. She cringed when she saw Blake's ear flick at the sound, thanking everything that she and Yang stayed asleep. She turned back towards Zwei, putting a finger to her mouth as she shushed silently.

Zwei blinked at her, tilting his head to the other side.

Out of desperation, Ruby put her hands together like a prayer, pleading with her eyes for the Corgi to go back to sleep.

Zwei stared back for an endless moment, before opening his mouth for another yawn. He put his head down, curling back into the covers, losing interest in his human as she continuously did nothing.

Ruby nearly collapsed in relief. Still, her eyes never left Zwei as she tiptoed fully up to the door. She eased it open slowly, thankful that the hinges did not squeak. She glanced up and down the hall, finding it expectantly empty. With a final look back at Yang and Blake's sleeping forms, she slipped out the door, holding her breath as it closed behind her, gently twisting the doorknob as she did to keep it from clicking. When a cursory look through the Link showed her teammates within were still fast asleep, she let out the breath she'd been holding, then took off down the hall at a brisk pace.

A few twists and turns down the darkened halls later took her to the stairwell. Just as she was a few steps away from the door, however, it started to open all on its own, voices coming from behind it. Ruby tensed, looking around franticly, before ducking down the hallway just behind her. She ran down its length and around another corner, peering around it. To her surprise, it was Jaune and Pyrrha walking back up the way she'd come, speaking in low tones.

Unable to beat back her curiosity, Ruby rushed back up the hall once they'd passed by, trying to stealthily watch them go. The two walked close, almost shoulder to shoulder. Ruby rose a brow when their hands accidentally brushed, causing the two to look at each other, startled. Their faces tinted red, Jaune looking embarrassed and Pyrrha… _hopeful?_

…

…

Ruby's brow shot high, practically feeling the lightbulb go off in her head. Her mouth opened slightly, having to hold back from vocalizing her realization.

After a moment, Jaune and Pyrrha shared an awkward laugh before apologizing and looking away from each other, Pyrrha putting a hand on her forearm as the two continued walking. Before they were out of sight, Ruby saw Jaune glance back at Pyrrha, his shoulders slumping as he shook his head.

Once they'd left, Ruby remained where she was, letting this new information wash over her. She pulled out her scroll, typing out a quick note to herself for later, saving it amongst the tutoring notes Weiss had given her to make sure she would remember.

After she saved the note, she hummed faintly to herself, the brief distraction fading away as she reminded herself why she was standing there in the first place and headed back to the stairway.

She winced as her bare feet left the carpeting in place of cold linoleum. Once the door had closed behind her, she shot up the stairway in a flurry of rose-petals, climbing the seven floors in a matter of seconds to the roof access. The door needed a good amount of force to open, thanks to the newly acquired human-shaped dent buckling it inwards.

Ruby shivered as she stepped out into the night air, pulling her cloak tighter around herself as the wind whipped about. Her eyes drifted instinctually towards the edge of the roof, where she and Yang had sat with Raven… Dust, was it really only two weeks ago? She moved to the spot without thinking, her eyes rising towards the city lights, merging with the stars reflecting off the ocean, Atlassian cruisers drifting lazily above the skyline.

Movement down below drew her attention. A group of at least eight people was making their way through the courtyard. It was too dark to make them all out, but there was no mistaking the stark white of Roman's suit and Ironwood's uniform shimmering in the lamplight. Before she could question what they were doing together so late at night, and with such a large group of people, they turned the corner and disappeared into the school grounds.

Ruby contemplated the group for a moment, before shaking her head. If it was important, she'd likely know about it soon enough anyway.

She had something more important to focus on.

Tearing her gaze away from the courtyard, Ruby rubbed her arms as she stepped further out onto the roof, where she'd have the most room.

She knew she'd need it.

Pulling her hood down, Ruby took a steadying breath. She raised her hands, curling her fingers. Red light enveloped her hands.

"Start small…" she murmured to herself as she arranged her fingers, turning her palms up.

Twin circles of red light shimmered into existence above her hands, a crimson snowflake spinning lazily at their centers. Keeping her breath steady, she curled her fingers slowly. The glyphs shrank down until they were the size of a small coin, the speed of the snowflake's rotation increasing with the loss of size. Ruby reversed the motion and the glyphs grew, to as large as her hand, then plate-sized. They grew larger still, until the two glyphs overlapped, merging into one as Ruby lifted her hands over her head.

Ruby stared up at the stars through her glyph, mesmerized for a moment by the red-tinted sky. Slowly, she lowered her hands, keeping them locked in the needed signs. She took a step back, leaving the glyph to hang in the air on its own.

"Okay…" she murmured, breath hitching from the cold. "Now…" Ruby let one hand relax, holding the other out towards the glyph. With a motion of her fingers, the glyph started to turn on its edge, its flat side going vertical. Another change of the hand size, the glyph changed, the snowflake shifting to a more intricate design, spinning wildly. Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out a Lien coin and tossed it at the glyph. The moment the coin touched the glyph, it was enveloped by a red glow, before being launched away at high speed.

Ruby watched as the coin flew into the distance, becoming just a pinprick before vanishing into the Emerald Forest. Nodding to herself, she let her arm fall limp, the velocity glyph fading away.

"Alright..." Ruby rubbed her arms in a vain attempt to warm herself, pulling her cloak closed for the moment. "Think, Ruby. _Think_." She closed her eyes, remembering…

* * *

" _Do you think I could try?"_

_Weiss blinked in surprise, letting her half-formed glyph fade away before she fully committed to the action. She looked up at Ruby, perplexed. "Try… what?"_

_Ruby giggled at her expression. "What do you think?" She gestured out at the floor in front of them, a few fading wisps of white light still visible from the glyph._

_Weiss's eyes darted to the dying lights, before letting out a groan. "No, Ruby."_

" _Aww…" Ruby slumped, pouting. "Why?"_

" _Because, Ruby, you only just started figuring out how basic barriers work. If you jump to anything else, you would just hurt yourself."_

_Ruby's pout morphed into a frown. "You don't know that."_

_Weiss side-eyed her. "Considering how much I've hurt myself over the years, yes, I do." Her hands glowed as she created another glyph on the ground. They watched as something moved and shifted within the spinning snowflake, its surface bulging slightly. Weiss felt her hopes rise minutely, only to fall to familiar disappointment as the glyph shattered, again. "Dammit. I'm never going to get this right."_

" _That's why I think you should let me try."_

_Weiss huffed, realizing that Ruby wasn't going to let this go. Resigning herself, she turned to her partner. "You're going to have to explain that one, Ruby."_

_Having been given the barest hint of acceptance, Ruby's face lit up. "I just thought that… well, you've been trying to figure out summoning glyphs for a while now, right?"_

_Crossing her arms, Weiss frowned. "Obviously."_

_Ruby ducked her head sheepishly. "Well, I just thought that... maybe you've been trying so long that you've kinda… burnt your thoughts out on it. Maybe if someone else tried doing it, a fresh set of eyes could see something you're missing."_

_Weiss's face softened out of the slight scowl Ruby's words had put on it. "Look at it from a different angle, you mean?" At Ruby's excited nodding she hummed, before shaking her head. "I don't know if my Semblance works like that, Ruby."_

_Ruby, however, would not be deterred. "It could, though! I mean, mine does!"_

_Weiss blinked. "What?"_

" _Yeah! After using my Semblance, Yang came up with a whole bunch of new ideas for it that I've never thought of!"_

_A surprised look came over Weiss's face. This was the first she'd heard of this. "Such as?" she asked curiously._

" _Like… what do you think would happen if I stayed in place, and spun my arms in front of me with superspeed?" To explain, she flailed her arms in front of herself in a vaguely circular motion._

_Weiss had her 'you're acting-stupid-but-I-don't-want-to-hurt-your-feelings-by-saying-so' look. "You would… make your arms sore?"_

_Ruby rolled her eyes with an exaggerated groan, half expecting such a response. "Well, yeah,_ maybe _. Or, if I do it right, I could make a mini-whirlwind that I can aim."_

_Weiss rose a skeptical brow. "Does your Semblance even work like that?"_

_Ruby shrugged sheepishly. "I don't know. I never thought about trying. But Yang did! When she used my powers, she thought about using them in ways I never had. If Yang could do that with my Semblance, why can't I maybe do it with yours?"_

_Weiss crossed her arms, giving Ruby a calculating look. "Ruby…"_

_Ruby groaned, recognizing Weiss's 'gentle-let-down' voice. "Weiss, what's the worst that could happen?"_

" _It doesn't work and you get hurt." She then leveled Ruby with a more serious look. "Or worse, it only works halfway, you lose control of it, and all of us could get hurt."_

_Ruby pouted, hating that Weiss might have a good point. "C'mon, Weiss, just once? It probably won't work anyway, and we have plenty of backup in here if it goes wrong." She gestured out towards where Blake and Penny were sparring, then to Yang and Winter chatting quietly across the warehouse. She put her hands together holding them just under her chin in what she knew was a cute pose. "And just think about if I do think of something you haven't. What could go wrong?"_

" _A lot," Weiss frowned, unimpressed._

_Ruby just pressed her hands tighter together, willing her eyes to grow bigger. "Pleeease?"_

_Weiss winced slightly as she stared down the full force of Ruby's puppy-dog eyes. She made it almost fifteen seconds before rolling her eyes skyward, groaning. "Oh, Winter's going to be so mad at me."_

" _Yay!" Ruby cheered, instantly gathering Weiss in a hug. "Thank you, Weiss!" She jumped back in a rush, holding her hands out in excitement. "Okay, what do I do?"_

 _Weiss, slightly stunned by the sudden and brief bearhug, shook herself before gathering Ruby's hands in her own, unable to keep a fond smile off her lips at the girl's eagerness. "First, calm down. Getting too excited will not help you at_ all _. And it's going to take more than just proper gestures. It's mostly all mental."_

_Ruby frowned slightly. "How do you mean?"_

" _Well…"_

* * *

Ruby sucked in a deep breath, a cloud of steam leaving her mouth as she exhaled. With a determined look, she lifted both arms. Red enveloped her hands as she bent her fingers.

"First," she muttered under her breath. "Picture it in your mind."

A glyph formed a little ways away from her, small at first, but growing slowly as Ruby's fingers twitched.

"It's every feature."

Ruby moved her arms apart, the motions slow and exaggerated. The glyph expanded as her arms moved until it nearly took up the width of the building. Ruby could feel her hands vibrating, not too dissimilar from how her own Semblance felt as the glow built. An outline started to take shape within the glyph, wide and curved.

Ruby's heart rate picked up the longer the glyph spun, every second of its existence a miracle to her. She continued, her voice gaining strength. "Every detail exactly as it was when you saw it."

The outline started to sharpen, the vague curves starting to thin, the edges sharpening. As the glyph spun faster, the outline began to take shape. Wide wings, a sharp beak, several glowing silver eyes…

Ruby now swallowed down her growing nerves. This was the hard part.

"Recall the memory of when you defeated it."

She thought back. The wind whistling past her ears. The pounding of her heart as she soared. The shrieking roar of shock and anger as she brought Crescent Rose down, the scythe's blade glinting in the sunlight...

Ruby opened her eyes, not having realized she'd closed them. There it was. A great winged creature within the glyph, staring at her as it stayed beneath the snowflake, like a whale waiting to breach the ocean's surface.

Her hands hurt so much.

Ruby grit her teeth, fighting against the trembling in her arms. "Bring that moment forward." She lifted her arms higher, the glyph shining its brightest. "Pull it straight out of your memory and-"

Two things happened at once: The Nevermore surged forward with a great flap of its wings, its beak pointed towards the sky as it soared halfway out of the glyph…

And the light enveloping Ruby's hands erupted into a cascade of sparks, her arms blown apart in a clap of thunder.

The sudden implosion in between her hands knocked Ruby to the ground, forcing her to look up as the glyph failed. The glowing circle shattered into a million shimmering shards, electricity darting between them as they vanished. The Nevermore let out an almost mournful cry as it faded into the ether.

"No…" Ruby whimpered as she watched the Nevermore vanish, nothing more than red wisps in the wind. Without the light from her glyph, she once again found herself in darkness. The silence of Beacon's night was deafening, save for the faint whistle of the wind blowing between the buildings.

Ruby stared at the empty space for a moment, her eyes darting around in disbelief. Once it was clear what she was seeing wasn't going to change, she closed her eyes, putting her head in her hands. "I was so close that time," she whimpered to herself. "I… I had it! I…" A great heave of air burst from her lips, shaking her whole body as it tore its way from her chest. Wetness trailed down her face as she hugged herself, tears coming freely as she felt the pressure building in her chest.

 _What did I do wrong?_ she thought desperately. _I did everything right… didn't I? So why didn't it work? I… I have to make this work. If I don't, then…_

Flashing steel. Rose petals in the air. Taurus's mad laughter. The numb horror on Weiss's face.

_Then Weiss… I can't… I can't let that happen again. We have to get stronger. I have to get stronger. Otherwise, next time… next time…_

"So this is where you snuck off to."

Ruby's head shot up when warm, strong arms wound their way around her shoulders, her heart leaping to her throat.

"Easy, Sis," was whispered gently in her ear as she was pulled into someone's lap. "It's just us."

"Yang?" Ruby turned her head, finding her sister's face close to her, a sad smile on her lips. A second person sat down next to them, sporting the same kind, worried look. "Blake? What…" She jumped when she felt cold paws on her legs, finding Zwei leaning against her, his head tilted in concern. Out of habit, she picked him up and put the corgi in her lap, letting him snuggle into her cloak. A blink spilled more tears, making Ruby rub frantically at her eyes in the vain hope her team hadn't noticed them. "W-what are you doing here?"

The squeeze Yang gave her was proof enough that she had failed ( _again_ ), and Ruby registered that they were both still in their PJs. ( _Blake must be freezing,_ she thought randomly when she saw Blake's thin sleep robe.) "Zwei woke us up. He started barking when he heard Jaune beating on his dorm door. I guess Nora locked him and Pyhhra out." She gave a small snort of amusement before her eyes grew more serious. "When we saw you weren't in bed, we went looking for you."

"We thought that you snuck off to see Weiss," Blake continued, her cat ears lowered. "But then we realized you were up here, Feeling..." She trailed off uncertainly, not sure how to sum up the typhoon of _Torment_ that had been pouring off her youngest Mate. "Ruby, what are you doing up here?"

Ruby swallowed. She'd been hoping to keep this a secret. "How much did you two see?" she asked nervously.

Blake and Yang shared a look. "Uh, most of your little light show there, Rubes. At least since you made that big one."

 _...they were there that long?_ Ruby thought absently, "I didn't notice…" she muttered, her cheeks tinting in embarrassment.

Yang chuckled lightly. "You looked pretty focused, Sis, so we kept quiet." Her smile faded a bit taking an exaggerated breath. "So… wanna tell us _why_ you snuck out to try and summon an overgrown chicken?"

Ruby grimaced, hanging her head. "Not… really."

Blake frowned, shuffling over to lean against her side. "Ruby…"

_Concern. Support. Care. Worry._

A low whine built in Ruby's throat, hugging Zwei against herself. "It's embarrassing."

Yang shot her a bemused grin. "Rubes, you almost summoned one of the biggest Grimm out there. I'd love to hear what embarrassing thing led you to do something so awesome."

"It wasn't awesome," Ruby quickly fired back, pouting. "It didn't work."

Yang blinked, then rolled her eyes in exasperation. "Okay, something fifty-percent awesome then. C'mon, Sis, spill."

Ruby stayed quiet, not wanting to voice her thoughts. But between Blake's _Concern_ and Yang's _Support_ , she felt her meager resolve quickly crumble.

Besides, the warm but firm hold Yang had around her waist made it clear her big sister would be keeping her there until she got an answer, as prior experience had taught her.

"I was trying to figure out why Weiss has so much trouble with summoning. I thought there might be something I'd see about it that she might have overlooked."

Yang nodded slowly. "Okay… that's really cool of you. Mind explaining why you needed to sneak out to do that?"

Ruby's lips thinned. "I wanted to surprise Weiss," she reluctantly admitted, not looking at her teammates. "To… make it up to her."

Blake frowned. "For what?"

"For… y' know." She dipped her head down further, her voice lowering to a mournful whisper. "Getting her hurt."

Blake and Yang's eyes blew wide, both confused until a look of realization washed over them. Another look passed between the bumblebee pair, this one filled with concern. "Ruby…" Blake droned apprehensively. "You know it's not your fault Weiss got hurt… right?"

Instantly, Ruby let out a loud groan. She _knew_ they'd say that. "Yes, it is," she grumbled mournfully, her tone leaving little room to argue.

Not that Yang wasn't going to. "No, last I checked it was Taurus who was being psycho with a blade, not you."

Ruby did her best to scowl at her big sister, twisting around in her lap, making Zwei squirm in her grip. "He shouldn't have gotten that close to her in the first place." Her ire died quickly, eyes going sad again. "I should have stopped her."

Blake sighed, her ears pinning back fully. "Ruby, it was chaos down there. Adam… he got a lucky hit in." She grimaced at the memory, forcing it away to focus on Ruby. "It could have happened to any of us. It's not your fault."

"But it is!" Ruby burst out, spooking Zwei out of her lap. She struggled against Yang's grip until her sister loosened her grip, shooting to her feet and whirling around. She glared down at Yang and Blake's startled faces. "I could have stopped her! We could have stopped her! But… but we didn't." She wrapped her arms around herself, looking off to the side. "We screwed up."

The sound of the wind filled the air, awkward silence building between the three girls. Yang turned to Blake, sharing in her confusion as they Felt Ruby's _Guilt_ and _Failure_ wash over them. With a heavy sigh, Yang pushed herself to her feet, Blake following. "You're gonna have to explain that, Rubes," she said, crossing her arms. "Cause far as I remember, we were kicking Tarrus's ass up until he got lucky."

Ruby huffed. She worked her lips for a moment, before looking back up. "Remember our fight with Uncle Roman?"

Yang blinked. "Uh.. yeah, why-?" She cut herself off as Ruby's words registered. She gave Ruby a flat stare. "Rubes. You're already calling him 'Uncle?'"

Ruby's cheeks pinked, cringing a little. "I mean… he is Mom's brother. And he's been nice to us…" She shrugged sheepishly. "Kinda."

Yang fixed her with an unimpressed glower, before letting out a groan. "Ruby, I swear, sometimes you are just too…" She struggled for a moment, before just exasperatingly throwing her arms out towards her little sister. " _You_."

Ruby squinted at her, unsure whether to be insulted or not. The amused way Blake was smiling at them didn't help.

Yang sighed, before sobering. "Yeah, I remember that fight. Freeway chase, found out Penny was a robot. 'Uncle' Roman _broke your leg_ ," she ground out, glower returning.

Ruby cringed at the reminder but continued. "Do you remember how we fought him?"

Yang frowned, shrugging. "Yeah, I superspeed punched his mechs head right off its shoulders. That's how we figured out we had an Affinity."

To her surprise, Ruby shook her head. "That's how we beat him. How did we _fight_ him?"

"Um…" Yang hesitated, not getting what Ruby was baiting for.

A sudden hiss from the side drew her attention to Blake. The Faunus's eyes were blown wide, shock on her face. Her brow pinched as she cringed, almost looking pained. At Yang's questioning eye, Blake groaned heavily. "Yang… _Instinct Sharing_."

Yang blinked. Then it hit her. Her head fell in her hands. "Oh... _crap_!"

Ruby nodded, not looking happy in the slightest. "Yeah. When we fought Roman, it was like we… could just _tell_ what we wanted each other to do. When one needed to jump or attack or…"

"Dodge…" Blake murmured.

Ruby's face pinched. "Yeah. But when we fought Adam… we couldn't. The whole fight, it just… never happened."

Blake got a faraway look in her eye, playing back the fight in her head. "I… I didn't even think about it."

"Well, we didn't have much time to, did we?" A harsh scoff tore from Yang's throat as she ran her hands roughly through her hair, drawing the others' attention. "We were already trying to figure out our Affinity. Then me and Rubes found about our Moms, your folks showed up, the whole White Fang revenge thing kicked off. When the hell would we have thought about it?"

"It still should have happened." They looked to Ruby curiously, making the girl shrug. "I mean, we didn't think about it with Roman. It just… happened. So why didn't it with Adam?"

Yang rubbed the back of her neck, at a loss. When Blake could only give her an equally helpless look, the blonde shook her head. "Yeah, that… okay, that's something else to add to the pile." Letting out a slow breath, she pushed the thought away to focus on her sister. "Still, Rubes, that's… whatever that is, that's on all of us, not just you. It's not your fault we couldn't use some random power we got dropped on us."

To her dismay, Ruby's face just scrunched up in denial. "I'm Team Leader, Yang. I'm supposed to keep track of our abilities and skills so I can make the best call. If I'd thought of it earlier, we would have realized it wasn't working… or found a way to make it work." She hugged herself tighter, anger on her face as they felt her _Self-Loathing_. "But I didn't. And because of that, Weiss got hurt. It's my fault."

Yang's eyes narrowed at that, her fists clenching. In a move that surprised Blake, the blonde strode right up to Ruby and planted her hands on her younger sister's shoulders, making her look up at her.

A silent moment passed as Yang peered into Ruby's eyes, searching.

"...we're not changing your mind on this tonight, are we?"

Ruby just stared back at her, her silver eyes wide, watery, but defiant.

Yang sighed, the stiffness in her shoulders slumping away. With a sad frown, she wordlessly pulled Ruby into another hug. Ruby stiffened for a moment, before giving up and pressing her face into Yang's shoulder, letting her big sister rub her back soothingly.

Blake stood a little to the side, close enough to give comfort if need be but letting the sisters have their moment. She peered through the Void briefly to check on Weiss. Thankfully the heiress was still asleep. Blake didn't want to know how she'd react to Feeling the three of them up on the roof, especially with Ruby Feeling like _this_. A low keen at her heels made her look down, seeing Zwei sitting at her feet, staring up at his owners in worry.

A minute passed before Yang shivered. Without the talking to distract them, the cold of the night air was starting to creep in. Taking a steadying breath, she asked, "So… how exactly did thinking you got Weiss hurt lead you up here?"

She felt Ruby huff against her skin, pushing her way out of the hug. Yang let her go, seeing her sister only take a step away. "I just… there's nothing I can do to help her heal, but… you know me, I can't sit still. I had to do _something_."

"Okay…" Yang said slowly. "So why summoning?"

Ruby shrugged. "It's the thing Weiss struggles with the most. I thought maybe I could fix that." She hung her head again, grumbling, "For all the good it did."

Blake tilted her head a bit, her cat ears flicking in the wind. "Ruby… it looked like you almost had it. That's… really impressive for a first try."

At that, Ruby's head shot back up. A nervous look passed over her face before she looked away, her cheeks tinting. "Um… this wasn't my first try. Or second." Her cheeks reddened further, her voice growing quieter. "Or third."

Blake and Yang looked to each other in alarm. "Ruby…" Blake questioned carefully. "Have you been coming out here all week?"

Ruby's shoulders slumped, shaking her head in defeat. "Just since Tuesday. Remember, I went to see Weiss while you two were with Blake's parents? We were talking… well, I was talking. Weiss was kind of out of it. I was just telling her how our classes went, just getting into Combat Class and… Weiss just kind of said something."

Yang gave a light snort, grinning. "She's… been saying a few things, all hopped up on painkillers. Mind specifying?"

Ruby let out a breath. "She just kind of blurted out… that she doesn't like training. Which makes no sense, right?" Blake and Yang's confused looks echoed their agreement. "She loves Combat Class, making herself a better Huntress. But when I tried to say that to her, she talked over me, all mumbly. It took me a second to realize she was talking about…" She gestured vaguely at the roof, where her glyph had been. " _This_."

"Summoning," Blake said

"Yeah…" Ruby confirmed quietly, eyes on the ground. "She just kind of rambled about it for a minute, how frustrated she couldn't make it work, how she thought she never would.. a few other things…" The soft trailing off of Ruby's words was punctuated by the wave of _Sympathy, Sadness, Helplessness_ the memory dredged up, prompting Yang to bring her into a side-hug. Ruby took a shuddering breath, shivering from the cold (it _was_ just from the cold, she told herself) before finishing, "Then she just slipped off back to sleep."

"And that led to you sneaking up here at night?" Yang asked gently, trailing her hand up and down Ruby's arm in a soothing motion.

Ruby nodded. "I just thought… summoning gives Weiss so much trouble and she's making so little progress with it… but she's just been doing the same thing over and over again to make it work because that's what Winter always taught her, even though it wasn't working." Ruby gave a helpless shrug. "I thought... maybe I could try figuring out on my own, just from the basics Weiss told me. Maybe all it would take is looking at it with fresh eyes, maybe see it at a different angle or… something. I'd figure it out, then I could show Weiss so she could finally do it and not have to worry about it anymore, and she'd be happier when she was recovering and… and…" Ruby trailed off, her voice starting to break.

Yang turned to meet Blake's eyes, the Faunus standing well within arm's reach. Getting a nod from the blonde Blake carefully wrapped her arms around Ruby's waist, tucking the back of the smaller girl's head under her chin. Feeling she already knew the answer, she softly asked. "And how's it been going?"

Ruby's face screwed up as she tried to hold everything in. But being surrounded by Blake and Yang's arms, she felt something crack in her chest

"I can't do it!" Ruby sobbed, the sudden shout making Blake and Zwei's ears pin back. "It feels like it should be so easy! I think it's so close, every time, and it just falls apart at the last second. I… I think I got farther than Weiss did, _somehow_ , but…" She petered out quickly leaning back into Blake's embrace. "It always goes wrong at the end."

Yang hummed. She patted Ruby's arm absently as she thought. An idea brewed in her head, a likely silly one, but… well, since when did Yang care if she sounded a little silly.

She pulled away from Ruby and Blake, walking out to where Ruby's glyph had previously been. There was a light scorch mark burned into the concrete, likely from the rather violent way the glyph had failed. After looking the space over for a minute, she turned back to the pair, who were watching her curiously.

"So how do you do this?"

Ruby blinked. "Uh…" She pulled out of Blake's arms looking back at the Faunus nervously. "Yang, I haven't had a whole lot of luck. I don't know if you should…"

Yang put her hands up, fighting from rolling her eyes. "I'm not going to try it myself, Sis. I just want to know. Did Weiss give ya some kind of notes or … hell, I don't know, a checklist for how to pull it off?"

Ruby eyed her suspiciously like she expected. When Yang just raised an expectant brow at her, she gave in. "Well... kind of. Winter told Weiss this… mantra, I guess." At Yang's prodding nod, she explained. "It's like a list of steps you've got to go through in your head as you make the glyph. How to picture the thing you want to summon." She crossed her arms, grumbling in annoyance. "It's really not that hard… up to a point. Everything feels like its working… until I do something wrong. Then it just blows up in my face."

Blake put a hand to her chin, following Yang's lead. "How does this… _mantra_ go?"

Ruby hummed, then recited, " _Picture it in your mind. Every feature, every detail exactly as it was when you saw it. Recall the memory of when you defeated it. Pull it straight out of your memory and back into the waking world. Take that memory, and make it live again."_

Yang cocked her head to the side. "That's it?"

Ruby shrugged. "I told you, it's not that hard… _until it is,_ " she muttered bitingly.

"Huh," Yang said, bemused. "So which part's giving you trouble?"

"Recall the memory of when you defeated it," Ruby threw her hands up in frustration. "Which makes no sense! I remember it perfectly! It's hard to forget."

"Hmm… yeah, that was a trip, wasn't it? Hell of a first day." Yang chuckled. "Feels like a lifetime ago."

"Maybe…" Blake said quietly, drawing their attention. The Faunus hummed to herself, then looked to Ruby. "What exactly are you remembering, Ruby?"

Ruby frowned at her. "Um… cutting off the Nevermore's head?"

Blake's eyes narrowed. "Is that all?"

Ruby's frown deepened. "What else is there?"

Blake sighed, giving her an exasperated but fond smile. "Ruby, that was the killing blow. What if you need the whole memory to make it work? The entire fight, start to finish."

Ruby blinked. "It… it can't be that simple…" She turned to Yang, almost hoping for her to agree. "Right?"

To her surprise, Yang snorted. "I dunno, Sis. Weiss has been having so much trouble with this, and that sounds _exactly_ like something she would say right now."

It kind of annoyed Ruby that Yang was making sense.

Biting her lip, Ruby mulled over what they'd said. She looked to Yang, then Blake, then Zwei, who was sniffing at the burns where her glyph had been. She let out a long sigh. "I'm gonna be mad if all I was missing is that I wasn't thinking hard enough." She walked between them, out to the center of the roof.

"Ruby?" Blake questioned.

Ruby chewed on her bottom lip, glaring at the scorch marks. "I'm gonna try one more time… just to see."

Yang grinned at her sister's back. "Give it your best shot, Rubes." She clicked her tongue to call Zwei to her, the corgi running from where he was to where she and Blake had moved out of Ruby's way.

Ruby took a moment, listening to the wind whistling passed and the crickets chirping out in the forest. She slowly brought her arms up, curling her fingers.

"Okay… Picture it in your mind." She went through the now-familiar motions, saying the appropriate line with each one as her glyph formed and shifted. "Every feature, every detail exactly as it was when you saw it." She sighed as she reached her troubled place. She stared at the spinning glyph for a tense moment, before closing her eyes. "Recall the memory of when you defeated it."

Her mind instantly jumped to what it always had before, Crescent Rose sinking into the Nevermore's neck. She gave her head a small shake, forcing the image away. That was the end of the memory. She had to go back to the start of it, which… she supposed was when she was...

Being picked up by the Nevermore out of nowhere, Weiss hanging on next to her. Getting away from it, only for it to return later. The four of them leaping through debris as the Nevermore soared around them. Yang firing widely from that column, then leaping up to fire right into the Nevermore's mouth. She, Blake, and Weiss working together to launch Ruby right at the beast. Weiss's glyphs propelling her, the thrill of running straight up that cliffside, knowing they were watching…

Ruby's eyes opened wide.

That's right. Killing the Nevermore wasn't the only part of that memory. There was meeting Weiss and Blake for the first real-time. Having Yang, the big sister she'd always looked up to, look at her like an equal. Trusting them with her life. Having them trust her.

It was the first time they acted as a team.

"Oh…" she breathed softly. She looked down.

The glyph was spinning wildly. She could see the Nevermore within, staring up at her. It was just like all the other times…

Except her hands didn't hurt.

She took a shuddering breath. She looked over her shoulder, seeing Yang and Blake watching her in trepidation. She smiled at them. "I think I got it."

Yang's brow shot high, before beaming back. "Then do it, Sis!" Blake nodded her encouragement, even if she did watch the glyph with worry in her eyes.

Ruby turned back to the glyph, locking eyes with the Nevermore. "Okay… Pull it straight out of your memory…" She lifted her arms higher, shifting her fingers. "And back into the waking world."

The glyph spun faster and faster. The air shifted, and the glyph doubled itself. The Nevermore moved, as if preparing itself.

Ruby took a shaky breath, bringing her arms in. _This is it._ "Take that memory."

She threw her arms out wide.

"And make it live again!"

The second glyph rose from the first, keeping level as it rose into the air. As it did, the beak of the Nevermore broke through the first.

Yang and Blake watched in shock as the Nevermore rose out of the glyph like it was on an elevator. The massive Grimm kept its wings folded against its body, yet it still seemed larger than they remembered.

Once the Nevermore was fully out of the ground, both glyphs faded away. The only light now came from the Grimm itself, a deep glow that lit up the area around it. Unlike a true Grimm, Its body was a deep crimson color, which lightened to almost neon red at its edges. Its mask was such a light red it was almost pink, white markings swirling around four silver glowing eyes.

Yang let out a shout of excitement and pride. "Yes! Rubes, you did it!"

Blake let out a startled laugh, marveling at the creature. "Incredible… Good job, Ruby!"

Ruby stared up at the crimson Grimm in awe, stars dancing in her eyes as it loomed over her. "I...I did it." She let out a laugh, jumping in place with joy on her face. "I did it! Oh, you are _beautiful_! " She put out a hand towards its beak, wanting to touch the summon to make sure it was real. "Just wait until Weiss gets a load of-"

_**Scraaaawww!** _

Just before Ruby's hand made contact with the summon, the Nevermore let out a piercing shriek right in her face. Ruby jumped back in alarm, stumbling into Blake's arms. The Nevermore flared out its wings, the span of which spilled over the edge of the building.

"Uh, Ruby?" Blake said quickly, her voice strained as she stepped away from the summon. "What's it doing?"

"I...I don't know!" Ruby stammered as the Nevermore shuffled about on its talons, swinging its head side to side as it looked at the surroundings. Its movements were fast and twitchy like the creature was unable to sit still. Zwei started barking at the massive bird, now considering the creature a threat. "I haven't told it to do anything yet!"

"Well, could you make it stop?" Yang asked nervously, bringing her hands up defensively as she stood between them and the Nevermore.

"I-"

She was cut off by the Nevermore letting out another screech. The summon flapped its wings, nearly blowing the teens off the roof from the wind. As its feet left the ground, it swung its body until it hovered above them, facing the Emerald Forest. All throughout Beacon, windows were lighting up, the students within being awoken by the noise.

Ruby stared up at the Nevermore in mounting horror. "What did I do?"

"Not a problem!" Yang shouted, smashing her fists together, triggering Ember Celica to unfold around them. Her hair flamed and eyes reddened as she cocked back her arm. "I'll just smash it before-"

_**Scraaaawww!** _

With a mighty, almost excited screech, the Nevermore angled forward, giving a heavy flap of its wings…

And a thunderous boom shook the school.

The three watched in stunned awe as the Nevermore shot away in a streak of lightning, vanishing into the distance as rose petals rained over the school grounds.

Silence fell over the school once again, broken only by Zwei's barking and the distant screech of the fleeing Nevermore.

"...guys?" Ruby breathed in a daze. "Did the Nevermore just use my Semblance?"

Blake let out a small squeak, her mouth hanging open as she watched the Nevermore soar away.

Yang swallowed thickly. "Okay... _that_ might be a problem."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Do the summons in RWBY really work like this? Probably not.
> 
> But I love the idea way too much, so… yeah.
> 
> Next chapter, there's a superspeedy Nevermore summon on the loose. Who will take it down?


	4. Welcome to Beacon

**Earlier That Night.**

The forest was endless, its darkness impenetrable to all but those made to see through it. The wind blew through its trees constantly, light enough to be forgotten until the rustle of leaves and creaking of branches cut through the silence. And there was always the feeling of being watched, despite there being no creature to be found no matter how hard one looked. Not until it was right on top of them.

This… was not how Ilia saw her night going.

She leapt from branch to branch, her aqua eyes glowing slightly as she strained her night vision. She'd left the forest floor as soon as she'd entered the forest, finding the treetops a quicker method of travel as she searched for her goal.

Well, not so much entered as was _catapulted from the top of a cliff!_

_Seriously, what the hell!?_

Ilia shook her head, forcing her frustrations away for the moment. She'd have plenty of time later to marvel at the utter insanity that was Headmaster Ozpin.

The fact that Chief Ghira and General Ironwood found nothing strange at all with launching four teenagers into a Grimm infested forest _at night_ said things about their own mental state that Ilia wasn't prepared to contemplate.

She took a deep breath, trying to calm her nerves. She had better things to do than question the sanity of world leaders.

" _Grrr…"_

...even if said world leaders were the reason she was in this godsforsaken, Grimm infested forest.

Ilia placed herself flush against the tree trunk, making herself as small as possible as she peered down through the branches. A Beowulf prowled through the foliage below, growling lowly as its molten eyes cut through the darkness. She gripped the hilt of her sword as it drew closer to her hiding place her scales rippled in preparation.

The Beowulf sniffed at the forest floor, a constant growl at the back of its throat. It prowled from tree to tree, getting more agitated by the second. When it reached the base of Ilia's tree, it took in a deep breath, and the growl turned into a snarl. It's head shot up, a roar in the back of its throat as its burning eyes stared right towards Ilia...

And saw nothing.

For a brief moment, the Beowulf paused as what it saw didn't match up with what its other senses were telling it. There was a rustle in the branches above.

To the outside eye, the Beowulf suddenly slammed its head to the ground chin first for no reason, letting out a yip of surprise. Black ichor flowed from a hole in its forehead, its glowing eyes dimming within seconds.

The air above the dead Beowulf shimmered, revealing Ilia kneeling on the beast's neck. Her scales rippled as she pulled her blade free from the Grimm's skull, leaping away as it fizzed into non-existence.

Ilia let out a breath before climbing back up into the branches. This made the fourth Grimm she'd encountered since entering the forest. Just how many was she going to encounter before she met up with anyone?

She thought back on the Headmaster's words, trying to discern if he'd given them a hint, some kind of hidden message as to what was expected of her…

* * *

" _Now, normally a new team would find a collection of chess pieces at the altar, your goal being to select only one, your team's chosen piece acting as a sort of character test. However, seeing as how we already know your various skill sets and you will be the only team entering, we will be forgoing that and altering the test a bit. Instead, at the altar, you will find a small pyramid-shaped object. A… relic, of sorts. Your objective is to reunite, collect the relic, and return here before sunrise."_

* * *

...nope. It still sounded too straight forward. Reunite, get the relic, and get out without her and her team getting eaten.

Ilia paused before her next leap. _Her team…_ For some godsforsaken reason, Ozpin, Ironwood, and Ghira wanted to make a Huntress team out of them. A barely reformed White Fang, a serial criminal, an Atlassian prodigy, and a futuristic all-powerful android… and they wanted them to sit in a classroom learning about Remnant History and the machinations of Dust. Make them students at a Huntsman school.

They wanted _her_ to be a Huntress.

…

When did this become her life?

" _ **Rawrr!"**_

Ilia's head shot up at the sudden roar, just in time to see the massive paw coming for her. She tried to jump out of the way, but was too late, getting swatted out of the tree.

She hit the dirt with a yelp, quickly pushing herself back to her hands and knees. Her stomach dropped at the sight of an Ursa Minor looming over her on its hind legs. The beast let out a thunderous roar as it fell forward, its claws aimed for her.

Ilia rolled left, putting herself right between the Grimm's paws as they slammed into the ground. She lunged upwards, her sparkling blade sinking into the Ursa's neck. The beast roared in pain, throwing its head to the side and knocking Ilia into the air with the motion. Ilia grit her teeth as she tumbled through the air, getting her feet under herself before she landed. Her heels dug into the dirt as she skidded back, crouching as she waited for the Grimm's next move.

The Ursa roared in rage, black blood dripping from its neck. It took off in a lumbering run, blazing eyes zeroed in on its prey. Ilia tensed her legs, trying to judge the right time to vault over the Grimm-

Only for the Ursa to suddenly vanish.

Ilia blinked as the sound of steel slicing through air rang out. The Ursa screamed as it was thrown to the side, its eyes going dark as it slammed against a nearby tree. It hung in the air, pinned against the tree truck by six black and green blades, steel wire trailing from their hilts.

"Friend Ilia! Are you okay?"

Ilia's eyes followed along the wires, towards the source of the voice. She relaxed a little when she saw they led back to their owner, slowly walking out from behind the foliage, four more blades hovering around her.

"Penny," she breathed, coming out of her crouch. She rolled her shoulders to remove the last bits of tenseness. "Yeah, I'm okay. Thanks for the save, but… I think I had that handled."

Penny tilted her head, a confused smile on her lips. "I don't doubt you, but was the point of us coming here not to assist each other?"

Ilia sighed. "Yeah, I guess it was." She looked Penny up and down, giving the girl a small smile. "So… since you're the first one I found… or, that you found me… I guess that makes us partners."

Penny blinked at her, and her smile grew blinding. "It would appear so!" She then paused, her smile fading as her brow pinched. "Is that… good?"

Ilia felt a small twinge in her chest at how quickly the android turned uncertain. She ignored it, letting out a huff of a laugh. "I think it's about the best I could have gotten. Ciel seems like the steadfast by-the-book type and Neo… well, she's kind of cool, but she's..."

She thought about the mute girl's constant smug smirk, the mad gleam in her eye she'd seen while they fought the White Fang, the way she beat anyone who pissed her off over the head with that parasol (granted, she'd thus far only been seen hitting Roman, who probably deserve it, but still…)

"...a lot." Ilia finally settled on.

Penny seemed to contemplate this for a moment, before nodding. "Well, I believe you and I have the potential to be a great unit!"

Ilia grinned at her returning enthusiasm. "Well, thanks." She looked around the forest, noting the lack of Grimm and notable landmarks as Penny's blades circled them protectively. "So, since we found each other, should we try to find Ciel and Neo, or head towards this 'relic'?"

Penny hummed to herself. "The point of this exercise is to see how we function as a team. To that end, I'd suggest we complete the team before we head towards our objective."

Ilia gave a small shrug. "Sounds good to me. Not sure how we're going to find them."

Penny frowned, tilting her head to the side. After a moment, she pointed to the right. "I can hear gunfire coming from that direction. One of them is likely engaged in combat."

Ilia blinked, not hearing anything herself. "You can hear that from here?"

"Not… as a normal person can," Penny slowly admitted. "I was designed to have senses far beyond that of an ordinary human… or Faunus."

Ilia hummed at that, not sure how to feel. "Well… I guess we should get moving. If there's gunfire, they might be in trouble." She stared off in the direction Penny had pointed, only for the android to stop her.

"Would you like me to fly us to them?" She asked with a smile. "It would be faster, and give us a greater scope of the situation.

Ilia paused, perplexed. "Um… I guess. But… how would I fly with you?"

Penny beamed. "Like this!"

Faster then Ilia could react, Penny lunged forward. Ilia yelped as she went weightless, her feet leaving the ground as the android's arms went behind her back and legs. Ilia yelped as she was lifted, her blade retracting into the hilt as she clutched it against her chest. She felt her face inflame as Penny held her like she weighed nothing.

"See? Like this, it will be easy for me-" Penny's proud beaming smile faded as she looked down at the girl in her arms. "Friend Ilia?" She asked, perplexed. "You've turned pink. Is that normal?"

Ilia pinkened a shade darker, before schooling her face and clearing her throat, willing, _begging_ , her scales back to their regular color. "I'm… fine, Penny," she said, ignoring how her voice had raised an octave. "Just...you should probably ask permission before just picking someone up like this."

"Oh." Penny looked up and down Ilia's held frame. "I just thought… Is it… rude?"

Despite the awkwardness, Ilia felt a chuckle build in her throat at the android's honest confusion. "Most people would think so, yes."

Penny hummed. "Noted." She then looked up through the canopy of trees. She looked back at Ilia hesitantly. "Would you still like to fly with me?"

A grin made its way onto Ilia's lips, her heart's hammering finally starting to slow. "Yes, Penny, I would."

Penny beamed again. "Okay!" Giving a high pitch whine, Penny's jetpack wings burned with green fire, the android's feet slowly leaving the ground. Once they broke free of the treetops, Ilia was buffeted by the increased wind. She blinked against the rush of air. Penny's arms suddenly tightened around her as she tilted forward-

_Shrrooom!_

-and blasted away!

 _"Aahhh!"_ Ilia screamed, instinctively holding onto the nearest thing for her life… which happened to be Penny's neck. "Penny!"

Penny looked down at the Fanus's yell. "Is something wrong?"

"Warn me before you take off at Mach 1!"

Penny looked confused. "But I haven't broken the speed of sound-?"

"You know what I mean!"

Though Ilia couldn't see it, the look on Penny's face implied that she did not. She did gather that she was moving faster then Ilia was comfortable with, and slowed her speed.

Ilia relaxed slightly but kept a tight hold on Penny. She could feel embarrassment burning in the back of her mind, but it was outweighed by the adrenaline rush she was sure wouldn't go away until the landed.

As the trees blew past below, Ilia tried to determine where they were going. She could see the cliff they'd originally been launched from in the distance, the spires of Beacon far off behind it. She faced back forwards, trying to see any sign of their potential teammates. Despite not seeing any obvious signs, she could feel Penny dip and adjust course several times, following a path only her partner was aware of.

Partner. She had an Atlassian Super Android for a partner at a Huntsman school. That was going to take some getting used to, for several reasons. Still, she hasn't been wrong before. Considering the other options, she'd rather be paired with Penny than…

…

Ilia slapped her hand to her forehead. "Oh no…"

Penny jerked in surprise, her flight path dipping up for a moment. "Ilia? Is something wrong?"

Ilia threw her head back, watching the world fly by upside down. "Maybe. Probably. Just something I thought of." When she lifted her head and saw Penny's confused look, she let out a heavy sigh. "Since we found each other, that means we're going to be partners, right? So, what does that mean for Neo and Ciel?"

"Well, I suppose it…" Penny blinked, pausing. A look of worry passed over her features. "Oh, dear."

Ilia bit back a snort. "Yeah, that… that about sums it up. If this works, this whole team thing is going to be... Interesting."

* * *

"No shit. Neo's going to eat that kid alive."

Ignoring Roman's amused commentary, Ozpin looked up from the live feed on his scroll to watch the glowing green dot in the distance soaring across the treetops. The two men stood at the cliff's edge alongside Goodwitch and Ironwood, all four monitoring the impromptu exam on their scrolls.

"Miss Polendina and Miss Amitolla appear to function as an amenable team so far," Goodwitch said as her eyes scammed across the screen. "No personality clashes or conflict of methods as of yet. If they function well together in combat, I can see this partnership working."

"Frankly, I think seeing them in combat is a moot point." Ironwood frowned as he watched Penny fly away with Ilia in her arms. "The footage taken from the White Fang attack proved that they work well together."

"In a crisis, yes," Goodwitch fired back, her look cutting. "All Hunters are expected to function with allies of chance. Whether or not they can consistently function together is another matter."

At that, Roman let out a snort. "Well, I know Neo can buck up when she has to. What about your straitlaced little prodigy, Ironsides?"

Ironwood's only answer was a severe glare.

Roman cackled. "Yeah, that's what I thought. Ah, you can't pay for this kind of entertainment!"

As Roman received another glare, this time from Ironwood and Goodwitch both. Ozpin gave no commentary. Finally moving his eyes from Penny's flying form, he tapped on his scroll to watch the other examinees.

* * *

In a dark corner of the Emerald forest, the angry buzz of insectoid wings echoed through the trees. Glowing compound eyes streaked through the shadows, red light trailing as dog-sized forms flitted from tree to tree. Three wasp-like Grimm darted between the foliage, searching for their lost target. The worker-type Lancers darted up and down the trees, circling each one before moving to the next, their buzzing growing louder with each failed search.

_**Bang!** _

A gunshot rang out, and one of the Lancer's heads exploded in a shower of black blood. As its body fell bonelessly to the ground, its companions spun on the spot towards the sound of the gunshot. With an angry shriek, the two Lancers fired their stingers like harpoons, a thin strip of string-like flesh trailing as they screamed through the air.

A thin form of blue and grey ducked back behind, the stingers just barely missing its head. One of the stingers struck hard against a nearby tree, its tether going taunt as the Lancer tried to retract it. Before it could pull the stinger from the wood, there was a glint of steel. With a pained shriek, the Lancer found its stinger cut. In anger, it rushed its prey's hiding place.

Razor-sharp claws sliced through the tree trunk like it was paper, sending it toppling to the side. But as it reared back its legs to attack again…

Ciel popped up from behind the remaining stump, pistol aimed over her knife.

_**Bang!** _

The point-blank shot reduced the Lancer's head to a puff of black, its body falling. As it started to vanish, the final Lancer launched its stinger again. Ciel grit her teeth, lifting her knife to deflect the stinger. A metallic _clang!_ echoed out, the force of the impact nearly ripping the knife out of Ciel's hand as the stinger went wide. As the Lance hurried to retract its stinger, Ciel pressed a button on the side of the pistol, then took aim. She pulled the trigger.

_**Shrring!** _

The bullet trailed frost as it flew through the air. The Grimm let out a shriek as it was hit in the chest, ice coating it within seconds. With its wings fully frozen, the Lancer fell to the ground, and shattered.

Breathing heavily, Ciel spun in a tight circle, aiming her pistol towards every possible hiding place as she searched for more threats. With none immediately apparent, she allowed herself a moment's relief.

This… what had she gotten herself into?

It had started so simple. General Ironwood himself had come to request her personally, having heard of her talents as a homeschooled prodigy. He said he needed someone not enrolled in Atlas Academy to be partnered with his own prodigy for the Vytal Festival. It was a great honor. How could she say no?

He never mentioned getting pulled into an operation against the White Fang.

He never mentioned she'd be working with former criminals, ex-extremists, and living legends.

He never mentioned wanting to enroll her in a school an entire continent away from her home.

And he most certainly never mentioned that the girl he wanted to partner her with was a _robot._

General Ironwood was one of the greatest military minds in the world. He was the most heavily decorated officer in the Atlassian Military. He was responsible for successfully keeping the peace for over twenty years.

Ciel could not deny these things as fact.

Neither could she deny that she was growing increasingly intimate with the phrase 'never meet your heroes'.

Ciel took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. She had to focus. What's done was done, she had no control over it and could not change it. She just had to follow orders and… everything would work out fine.

And her most recent order: reunite with her 'team'.

Closing her eyes, Ciel focused. After a moment, the sun symbol on her forehead started to glow. The circle at the center of it split down the middle, opening to reveal an intricate depiction of an iris. The eye darted back and forth throughout the circle, before focusing to the left.

From her point of view, the world seemed to narrow. Looking through the symbolic eye, her sight was warped and stretched, the edges of her vision growing more distorted the further she pushed it. A headache started to form as she focused, her field of view narrowing as she tried to close in on a flash of light far off in the distance. Nearly at the edge of her range, the trees started to thin, the ground becoming littered with broken stones and ruined architecture. She caught the glint of steel and the glowing of angry yellow eyes.

The eye closed, returning to its sun-like appearance. Ciel opened her eyes, putting a hand to her head as she hissed in pain.

Ciel shook her headache away, turning to look towards what she had seen. She now had a goal, but she needed to move fast.

A frantic five-minute sprint later, Ciel knew she was nearing the fight. She could hear shrieks of Grimm at the edge of her hearing.

Up ahead, she could see the clearing. Loading a fresh clip in her pistol, she brought her arm up to aim as she broke through the trees.

Her heart stopped, then sank.

It stopped because of what Grimm she saw was making all the noise: Two Deathstalkers, the massive scorpions scuttling around a broken circular structure of aged stone, filled with empty pedestals, save one.

It sank because of who the Grimm snapped their pincers and struck with their tails at, seemingly frustrated as they tried to hit the small figure darting between them.

Neo.

The ex-criminal leapt between the Deathstalkers' claws, just dodging them by inches each time. Her expression kept shifting between smug confidence and sudden panic depending on how quickly she saw the incoming strikes. She deflected a few of them with her parasol, the seemingly flimsy device not-so-much as bending under the blows, then used the blade within to swipe at whatever part of the Grimm was closest.

Ciel shoved down her conflicting feelings, changing her aim as she saw one of the Deathstalkers reared back its stinger. Hitting the Dust controls, she fired two ice rounds.

The bullets hit the mark, encasing the Grimm's stinger in a block of ice as it struck. Neo jerked at the sound of the gunfire, then rolled out of the way of the incoming strike. The frozen stinger slammed into the ground next to her, shattering in a shower of black ice. The Deathstalker shrieked in pain, whirling around to face the new foe.

Ciel briefly caught Neo's eye, the mute's face full of surprise before she grinned brightly, turning back to the unharmed Deathstalker. Ciel couldn't watch how she engaged it as the Grimm she'd injured charged.

Ciel fired a few rounds, the normal bullets skipping harmlessly off its mask as it shrieked. She ducked as it snapped its claws at her, stabbing her knife into the softer flesh just behind the pincers. The Deathstalker jerked back, batting at her with its other claw.

She rolled away, getting her feet back under her when she suddenly heard a whistle behind her. She looked back to see Neo at the opposite end of the clearing, running full tilt towards her, her Deathstalker hot on her heels. The mute had a shard of ice in her hand, still dripping black blood.

Before Ciel could even wonder 'what?" Neo frantically pointed at the ice, then at her feet. When Ciel didn't immediately do… whatever she wanted her to do. Neo rolled her eyes, she pointed at the ice again, then mimed pointing a gun down.

Ciel blinked. _Oh!_

As the injured Deathstalker reared back for another strike, Ciel started running at Neo. She brought her pistol up, locking the dust control fully on. She fired her whole clip at Neo's feet.

Neo jumped over her bullets, the ground behind her freezing. When she and Neo reached each other, they dodged in opposite directions.

The Deathstalker that had been chasing Ciel turned to follow her.

The one chasing Neo ran right over the icy field.

Its legs skittered wildly as it found no purchase, a confused squeal coming from it as it scrambled. Out of control, it slammed into the other Deathstalker at full speed, the two Grimm shrieking as they tumbled in a tangled mess of legs and pincers.

Ciel rolled to her feet, eyes widening as she saw the injured Deathstalker, in its tangled state, had fallen on its back. Seeing her opportunity, she rushed forward, swinging her knife with both hands into the Grimm's throat. It let out an ear-piercing shriek as she twisted the knife, jerking hard to slice upwards through to its chin. The Deathstalker spasmed for a moment, then went still, the light in its eyes fading.

Her current threat ended, Ciel turned to help Neo-

Only to gasp in horror.

She only just caught the motion of the Deathstalker's tail as it flew forward, its tip slamming into the ground… and right through a downed Neo's chest.

A scream tried to work its way through Ciel's closed throat as she saw the mute girl get impaled. But before it could… Neo exploded.

Ciel's brain short-circuited.

The Deathstalker let out a chirp of confusion as it stared at the jagged shards of person drifting through the air, then let out a halted shriek as a blade poked its way out the top of its head.

Ciel watched as Neo, dirty, covered in black blood, but unharmed, rolled out from underneath the Grimm's head. As the Deathstalker slumped to the ground, she walked over to Ciel with a swagger in her step. Once she reached the stunned prodigy, she looked her up and down with a frown. She reached out, put a finger under Ciel's chin, and closed her mouth for her.

Ciel jerked back, jolted out of her stupor. She blinked at Neo for a moment, trying to find her words. "Wha… How…" She looked at the black stains on the ground, breathing heavily. Then she caught the proud, humorous smile on Neo's lips. Something clicked into place. "Did- did you plan to freak me out!?"

In answer, Neo waggled her brows.

Ciel's mouth fell open with a disbelieving scoff, her brow twitching at Neo's smug look. She opened her mouth to retort, only for her eyes to suddenly widen. "Get down!"

The sudden shout made Neo look around in surprise. In the same instant, Ciel grabbed her by the collar, yanking the mute to the ground as a green beam of light soared over their heads…

And right into the face of the King Taijitu lunging at them.

Ciel and Neo watched in muted awe as the giant snake's white head was burned to a stump, it's remaining head shrieking in agony. A second yell sounded above them, Ilia appearing from thin air as she leapt right out of the sky, stabbing her electrified sword into the Taijitu's skull, the tip of her blade poking out its chin.

As the beast started to fall and fade, Ilia leapt from the Grimm's head down to the forest floor. As she walked towards the two, Penny descended from above the treetops, hovering over her shoulder.

Ciel stared open-mouthed at the duo, stunned both by the sudden appearance of such a Grimm and the quickness of its takedown. She was only broken from it when she found Ilia's hand extended in front of her face.

"Hey," Ilia said with a slight smile, squatting down to their level. "Need a hand?"

Ciel swallowed, slowly nodding. "Yes." She took Ilia's hand and was hoisted to her feet. She brushed away the dirt from her clothes, trying to appear nonchalant. "Thank you for… your assistance."

Ilia's smile lessened somewhat at her clinical tone, but she brushed it off. She turned to Neo, who was waving off Penny's efforts to help her up. She gave the android a harsh glare when Penny insisted anyway.

"It's no trouble, I promise!" She then blinked, seemingly realizing something. "Oh, um… would you prefer if I…" She stopped talking, then made several deliberate motions with her hands.

Neo's eyes went wide before, hesitantly, she made a string of movements.

Penny beamed at her. "Yes, I do! As part of my programming, I currently know over eighty-seven different languages, including VSL."

Neo nodded slowly, looking much like she didn't know what to do with this information. With a silent sigh, she signed more.

As soon as she was done, Penny let out a small gasp. "Oh! Oh, I'm so sorry for presuming. I just thought that... given the circumstances-"

Neo cut her off with an exaggerated wave, her usual smile back in place.

To the side, Ilia and Ciel looked between the two, lost. "Um, Penny?" Ilia said, catching the two's attention. "Sorry, to interrupt, but we only caught half of that conversation."

Penny blinked, then looked bashful. "Oh, sorry." She looked towards Neo, who smirked back in amusement. "Neo just said that, while she knows it, she's not that comfortable speaking in sign language unless it's with family." Neo nodded in confirmation.

Ilia tilted her head a little but didn't think much of it. Ciel, however, saw a problem. "But… if we're going to be on a team together, you have to talk to us in some capacity. If you won't use sign language, then how will we communicate?"

As if in answer, Neo rose a brow before pulling out her scroll. She typed on it for a few seconds.

Ilia then felt a buzz against her leg at the same time a jingly tune came from Ciel's pocket. They both pulled out their scrolls, finding identical text messages.

**Neo- Like this.**

"Oh," Ciel said, her drow raised a little in surprise. "I suppose that will… wait," Her head then shot up, likely having the same realization Ilia was trying to puzzle out. "How do you have my number? How- _How are you already in my contacts?!"_

Neo's smirk grew.

Before Ciel could press further (and from the look of it, she was more than ready to), a howl suddenly rang out from within the forest. The four girls instantly whipped around, putting their backs to each other.

Red eyes gleamed from the shadows of the dense woods, the low tilt of deep growls growing closer. From the opposite direction, buzzing could be heard, red lights streaking as small forms darted between the trees.

"Looks like we're going to have our first fight as a team," Penny said evenly, an undercurrent of excitement in her voice.

"Well… let's make it a good one, then," Ilia agreed, her sword buzzing back to life.

Ciel hummed in agreement, trying to swallow down her nerves as she drew her pistol. Before she stowed her scroll away, she heard it chime one last time. She glanced at it just before the first Beowulf broke came into view, catching a glimpse of Neo's smirking over her shoulder.

**Neo - Let's try to keep each other alive, eh, Partner?**

* * *

As the four girls separated to square off with a particular Grimm, their examiners scrutinized their movements.

"Well, Oz, maybe you were right," Ironwood said, somewhat begrudgingly. "They seem to work together pretty well."

"In this instance," Goodwitch commented, her critical eye watching Ciel's slight stumble when Penny sent a blade sailing past her head to strike the Lancer preparing to fire on her. "Teamwork must be repeatable, not just situational."

"There will be time for them to learn, Glynda," Ozpin said quietly, his focus on Penny as she hovered above the fight, backing up whoever seemed to need assistance like an overwatching guardian. The others seemed to have picked up on what she was doing, as any Grimm that came too close to her was either shot down or sliced mid-jump.

"Yeah, don't know about the long term, but Neo knows how to adapt to weird situations. She'll figure out how the others work and where she needs to put herself."

While Ozpin watched as Ilia, too distracted by her own Beowulf to see the one about to claw her back, only for Neo to suddenly appear between them, block its claws with her opened parasol then impale its head on the hidden blade, he couldn't help but agree. "They've shown more than the required potential, and have reached the relic. I believe we have our answer."

Ironwood let out a heavy breath. He had an odd expression on his face as he turned to Ozpin, pride in Penny and Ciel warring with his frustration at the situation. "I have to agree. Once they return, we will-"

Ironwood trailed off as the air around them shifted, sensing danger in the air, the others noticing a split-second later. The four Hunters whirled around, weapons in hand-

_**Scraaaawww!** _

-only to dive to the ground as something bright, red, and massive blew right passed them, the cliffside before them exploding into a shower of rock and earth. A blast of wind followed, nearly blowing them down into the darkness below.

" _Fuck!_ " Roman shouted as he whirled around, holding down his hat with one hand and aiming Melodic Crudel with the other. "What the hell was that!?"

Ozpin blinked as they all looked skyward. The… whatever-it-was was nothing more than a red dot in the distance.

"Oz?" Ironwood questioned, tight grip on his sword.

"I… am unsure," the headmaster replied slowly.

"Sir."

Ozpin turned to Goodwitch, only to see her lifting her hand into the air. The reason was soon apparent: as the gale that blew passed them died down, specks of red light started fluttering around them.

"Oh, no." Roman groaned as he snatched the red flecks out of the air. "No, no, no, no!" Glaring down at the rose petals, he slammed his hand to his forehead. "Of course. Of- _fucking_ -course."

Despite his crude language, Ozpin found himself unable to criticize.

For mere seconds later, a closer blast of rose petals nearly took them off their feet again, this time with yellow joining the red. The twin blurs shot right off the cliff, free-falling for a moment before skipping across the red and yellow glyphs that formed below them. Two more skips and they reach the forest floor, vanishing off in the direction of the crimson form soaring away.

 _"Gah!"_ Roman yelled, unprepared for the second blast. Without his hand to steady it, his bowler hat was caught by the wind and blown clear off his head. He leapt after it, fingertips grazing the brim as it went over the cliff's edge, disappearing into the vegetation below. Roman fell to his hands and knees as he watched his hat fall, gaping at the darkness. Then his head tilted up, rage on his face as the ex-con shot to his feet. "Rosebuds!" He shouted after the long-gone blurs. "I'm calling your parents, you super-powered brats!"

"You have got to be kidding me," Goodwitch groaned, fingers freezing across her tablet in their search for Beacon's security feed. With an exasperated look, she held her scroll out towards Ozpin. "Sir. You need to see this."

Still dusting off his clothes, Ozpin took the tablet. He felt his heart skip a beat at the image taken from a rooftop camera pointed towards the grounds, that of a Nevermore seemingly flying right through the heart of his school. A closer look quickly furrowed his brow as he noticed the beast's red color and silver eyes.

Then he noticed the rose petals falling from its wings.

"Oh dear," he sighed, mirroring his second's exasperation.

After staring at the image himself, Ironwood slowly turned to Ozpin, trying to restrain his disbelief. "These girls are only in their first year?"

Ozpin took a deep, calming breath, letting it out slowly. "And it's not even half-over yet."

"What do we do, sir?" Goodwitch asked. "Do we recall the examinees?"

Ozpin stared off at the red blur streaking lightning across the sky. He drummed his fingers against his cane as he contemplated. "...No," he said after a pregnant pause. "Part of the exam is meant to see how teams deal with unexpected circumstances. That includes encountering and working with other teams while out in the field."

The four watched as a ball of yellow suddenly leapt out of the trees below, bouncing back and forth through the air before finally colliding with the Nevermore in a shower of red and yellow rose petals. The summon let out an ear-piercing shriek, plummeting out of the sky with the yellow mass right behind it, both vanishing into the trees below.

Roman let out a low whistle, sitting back. "Well, it doesn't get much more unexpected then this clusterf-"

The ex-conman was interrupted by the ringing of a scroll. All eyes turn to Ironwood, the man himself looking down perplexed at his scroll. His brow furrowed at the name splashed across its screen. He collapsed it with a smooth motion, converting it back into phone mode and taking the call.

"Specialist Winter, do you have something to report?" His eyes then widened, loud hurried words being heard by the other three. "Winter, slow down, I don't…" His face suddenly went slack. "What happened to Weiss?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/n: Why am I so mean to Weiss? I swear I like her! Really! But somehow all the good ideas I have for this fic end up with her hurt. Yes, including future ones. Am I the baddie?
> 
> So, Ilia and Ciel's Semblances. I'll go into them in detail in later chapters, but to give you the short version… well, Ilia's is obvious, if a little boring, but it works for what kind of team I'm planning them to be. As for Ciel, her's lets her see everything around her within a certain sphere of influence, the drawback being that looking too far strains her, and she can't see through solid objects.
> 
> Sorry for the wait. Writer's block is a pain.
> 
> See you at the next one! It's always on the way, I promise!


	5. The Chase Begins

**The Emerald Forest**

"Oh, I'm in so much trouble!"

Yang let out a harsh sigh as the two zipped through the forest, doing their damndest to keep the Nevermore in sight. "Ruby, relax! It's not that bad! Students are allowed to go into the forest!"

"Yang, the whole school's awake! And I think that was Ozpin we ran past back there!"

"...Okay, but it could be worse!"

Ruby gave her a bug-eyed stare as they slid under a fallen tree. "I just unleashed a wild Nevermore with super-speed in the middle of the school! How could this be worse?"

Yang side-eyed her as they shifted course, trying to cut off the Nevermore as it suddenly veered to the right. "It could have headed towards the city."

"...still!"

Yang rolled her eyes, ignoring the burning in her chest. Despite the training they'd been doing, Ruby's Semblance still tired her faster than her own by far. "Okay, just… we've got to get it to the ground if we're going to take it down."

"How!? We can't fly!"

"Uh…" Yang hesitated, considering their few options. The trees around them were slowly starting to thin, giving her a clearer view of the Nevermore above them. It had stopped veering and was now going in a straight line, though who knew how long that would last. Her mind flashed back to months ago, how it had taken an actual mountainside for Ruby to get up to the beast's level. What she wouldn't give for another cliffside to run up.

_...wait a second._

"Maybe we can, sis!" A manic grin spread out over Yang's face, her fingers curling.

Ruby looked at her in confusion. "What? What do you-"

"Just trust me! Think you can hit its wing with some ice?"

"I mean, probably!" Unsure but with no better ideas, Ruby swung Crescent Rose off her back as she took a small leap. She rolled along the ground as Yang blasted past her. She came up in a crouch, getting a bead on the Nevermore's flightpath with the rifle.

Crescent Rose fired, and there was a screech of shock as the Nevermore fell out of super speed. With a grin, Ruby fired her Semblance back up, quickly catching up with Yang as they closed the distance. "Okay, now what-" Ruby then saw the snowflake on Yang's Mark glow, a yellow haze forming around her fingertips. With a sense of dread, she asked, "Yang, what are you doing?"

Yang shot her sister an excited grin. "Something crazy!" She looked straight ahead, scanning the ground. She quickly found what she was looking for: a large boulder jutting out of the ground in front of them. She pushed herself harder, her legs moving faster.

Ruby watched, aghast, as Yang pulled ahead of her, eyes zeroing in on what her sister was running towards. The pieces clicked into place. "Yang!? Yang, no!"

"Yang, yes!"

She was too late, watching helplessly as Yang gave a small hop, pushing off the top of the rock with her next step. Yang brought her hands up as she leapt into open air.

"Banzai!"

Before she could lose momentum, a yellow glyph appeared under her feet. She pushed off it with a long stride of Ruby's Semblance, going higher. A second glyph formed under her feet, then another. Step by super-speed step, Yang soared into the sky, jumping along her self made path.

She was at the Nevermore's height before she knew it, too quickly to form a true plan. Its belly crackled with red electricity, the very air around it charged. Without giving much thought, Yang pushed herself even further, gaining what little speed on the creature she could. She didn't have enough to overtake it.

Just enough to get right under its wing.

"'Sup, Speedymore!"

With a mighty leap, Yang fired up her own semblance briefly, her strength and velocity driving her right into the Nevermore's frozen shoulder.

_**Scrrraaaaw!** _

"Gaw!"

Yang's side lit up in pain, electric shocks running through her as she slammed into the Nevermore mid-flap, shattering the ice. She got her desired result, though, the sudden impact forcing the Nevermore on its back. The Grimm's loss of speed made it dip down, while Yang's momentum sent her higher. Yang saw an opportunity.

Before she could second-guess herself, she twisted her body so that her feet were facing the sky. She tucked her legs in, then curved her fingers for another glyph right above her. She pushed off it with all she had, launching herself at the Nevermore's neck with a yell.

Crashing into the summon's body, Yang clenched her teeth against the shocks. The Nevermore let out a screech of protest as it was suddenly sent hurtling downward. Yang wrapped her arms around its neck as they fell. Her stomach sunk when she suddenly looked up, only to see the ground rushing towards her.

_Okay, maybe I didn't think this through._

* * *

**Earlier, Elsewhere in the forest**

Ilia frowned as she weighed the stone-like pyramid in her hand, trying to figure out why the unassuming relic seemed warm to the touch. "Y'know, Penny, I've got to ask: do you even need a team?"

"Huh?" Penny looked over at the question. "What do you mean?" She immediately turned away as a howl rang out, a black blur diving right towards her.

_Crunch!_

Ilia winced at the sound of breaking bones, her gaze following the flight path of a headless Beowulf as it smashed into a nearby tree and faded. She turned back to Penny with an unimpressed look, eyebrow raised. Ciel and Neo relaxed out of their sudden stances, replacing their weapons in exasperation as they side-eyed the android.

Penny blinked at the looks as she retracted her blades, before appearing chagrined. "Oh. Did you want to take that one?"

Ilia looked skyward, letting out a sigh. "No, Penny, I… see, that's what I mean." She gestured towards Neo and Ciel as the four regrouped, Penny's blades creating a perimeter around them as they continued through the forest. "We've been fighting through this forest all night, and you haven't even broken a sweat."

"Um…" Penny ducked her head, embarrassed. "I can't actually-"

"Not actual sweat!" Ilia clarified, some exasperation entering her voice. She glared slightly when she heard Neo snort, before taking a deep breath. "I _mean_ … like, that pack back there. Fighting off Grimm like that takes all my training and instincts. But _you_ make it look effortless. And, during the Fang attack… nothing even touched you. Do you… _need_ any help during a fight?"

Penny's eyes widened the more Ilia spoke, a frown forming on her lips. She was silent for a moment, before dipping her head. "You're not… _entirely_ wrong. My capabilities are far beyond what… normal people can achieve. That was the entire point of my creation. But…" She looked up, meeting Ilia's eyes. "I'm not invincible."

Ciel gave her a doubtful look, eyeing the many swords hovering around them. "Really?"

Penny merely nodded, not hearing the skepticism. "Indeed. While my robotic nature makes me much more durable than human and Faunus Hunters, it also gives me… _unique_ weaknesses."

"Like?" Ilia couldn't help but ask.

"During Team RWBY's initial fight against Roman Torchwick, I was surprised by the use of an EMP wave. I went from 91% combat efficiency to zero in under thirty seconds."

"It… knocked you out?" Ilia tried to translate. Beside her, Neo slapped a hand to her forehead, glaring up towards the cliffs in the distance.

Penny nodded. "Yes. And regarding power… I'm not as efficient as I should be." At their questioning look, she explained. "I'm… essentially a prototype. I was tested to my fullest capabilities… but there's only so much you can account for in the lab."

Ilia hummed at that. Maybe it was bad of her, but she felt oddly comforted that Penny had her own weakness and need for improvement. Maybe there was a reason for this team to exist outside of publicity.

Silence hung in the air as they trundled through the timber. Ilia couldn't tell what the others were thinking. Neo seemed unable to do anything but smirk at everything around her, while Ciel remained closed off, eyes darting between the three of them occasionally before dropping back down to the ground. Ilia let out a small sigh. After fighting together for a bit, she could see how the four of them might work in combat. But as teammates? Her stomach sank trying to think about how they could make this work in the long term.

"So… can I ask a personal question?"

Ilia blinked at the surprising voice. She turned to see Ciel wince under the sudden attention, looking unsure as to why she even spoke up. Her eyes darted back to the ground, before hesitantly raising to meet Penny's.

Penny's head lifted a little in surprise, then beamed a smile. "Of course! I can tell you whatever you wish." She then paused, looking contemplative. "So long as it's not classified, that is."

Ciel grimaced, looking even more reluctant. "Oh. Okay, um… I was just wondering… since you were… _made_ by Atlas… where did you get the name Penny?"

In an instant, Penny's smile lit back up. "Oh! That's easy. I chose it."

Ilia and Neo shared a quick look. That was… not what they were expecting. Ciel seemed to agree, based on her surprised look. "Really?"

Penny nodded excitedly. "Indeed! My father was adamant that I decided that for myself. He let me choose a lot, in fact."

Ilia blinked, seeing Neo perk up in interest over the bot's shoulder. "Like what?"

"The way I looked. My height, my shape. The color of my skin, hair, and eyes. Even the sound of my voice." She grew a little sheepish suddenly, her smile dipping a bit. "The idea was that if I made those decisions myself, it would be easier for me to feel… human."

Neo made a small hum, then tapped Penny on the shoulder. When Penny looked at her curiously, Neo gestured up and down the androids frame, a brow raised. After a moment, Penny understood. "Why did I choose to look like this?" Neo nodded. Penny went to answer, then paused. Her mouth closed with a click, her head tilting slightly as she thought. "I'm... not sure, honestly. When I started thinking about it… looking like this-" Penny gestured to herself, then shrugged. "-just came to me. It… feels right… to look like this." She looked at her team hesitantly. "Does that make sense?"

Ilia nodded slowly, more out of acceptance than understanding. "A little." She glanced towards the others, gauging their reactions. Neo had a quirked smile on her lips, a sparkle in her eye as she nodded with Penny's words. And Ciel… Ilia wasn't sure what to make out of her reaction. The prodigy kept looking Penny up and down while she chewed on her bottom lip, like the robot was a puzzle she wasn't sure she wanted to figure out. She did seem a little less tense, though, so that was… something.

Focusing back on Penny, Ilia was about to ask another question but paused when she caught sight of the android's expression. There was a slight frown on her lips, her eyes narrowed slightly as she watched the path before them. Ilia watched as Penny's eyes darted back and forth slightly as she thought about something. "Penny?" Ilia asked after a moment. "Is something-?" She stopped, her head jerking up suddenly.

There was… something… at the edge of her hearing. Like a droning high-pitched whistle. And… crackling?

"You hear it too?"

Neo and Ciel looked over in surprise at the hard tone of Penny's voice. Ilia met Penny's glowing eyes, mirroring the serious look on her face. "Yeah." She looked towards the south, trying to peer through the thick foliage. "And it's getting louder."

Ciel looked at Neo in confusion, hoping the girl might have an explanation for the sudden shift in tone. The former thief could only shrug, putting her hands on her hips as she gave the two an annoyed frown. It took a second for Ciel to remember that Neo couldn't voice her annoyance, deciding to ask what they were both thinking. "Um… Miss Polendina? Miss Amitola? What do you-?"

_**Scrrraaaaw!** _

As the sudden screech made the other three flinch, Penny's head shot up, panic on her face. Her blades froze in their hovering, becoming unnaturally still.

" _ **HEAD'S UP!"**_

Ilia had a split second where she thought, _I know that voice_ , before something thin and solid smashed into Ilia's side, taking her off her feet. She tried to roll with the impact, only half succeeding as she crashed to the ground. A yelp and two impacts to her left showed that Ciel and Neo had been thrown aside with her. She lifted her head to see what had hit her. Her eyes widened when she saw the offending object laying in the dirt before her:

One of Penny's blades.

"Penny!"

Ilia's head shot up at Ciel's panicked yell. Her heart sank.

Penny stood in the same place they'd all been just a moment ago, her blades all thrown in the direction of her sprawled teammates. Her eyes were turned skyward, towards the giant screeching red _something_ hurtling towards her.

Ilia didn't know what went through her head at that moment, except for two things.

One: that the wires connecting Penny to her blades were drawn taut.

And, two: _Penny wasn't moving._

There was no thought. Ilia dived for the blade, planted her foot and knee into the ground, and _pulled_.

There was an instant protest from her shoulder. Despite her looks, Penny did not weigh the same as a normal girl. But Ilia barely registered it. All she cared about was that Penny was yanked off her feet by her back, sailing towards the Faunus and out of the way of the sparking red Nevermore slamming back first into the ground where she'd been standing.

Wait, _what._

Ilia barely felt Penny's weight as she caught her, too busy watching slackjawed as the Nevermore skidded across the ground, gouging a path through the trees until it came to a rest a football field away. It lay there for a moment, then let out a screech, rolling right side up and trying to get its feet back under it.

Before the four could react, a thunderous impact sounded across the newly made clearing. The Nevermore squawked as its head was thrown up, the beast rolling in a tangle of legs and wings. A splash of yellow was revealed as it tumbled, showing Yang Xiao-Long standing post-uppercut, face snarling and hair glowing. The brawler kept her pose for a moment, before grimacing, dropping to one knee and gasping for breath.

Ilia felt Penny tremble in her arms. The android blinked rapidly, shaking her head hard. She glanced back at Ilia in surprise, then towards where the Faunus was looking. She gasped when she saw Yang. "Friend Yang!"

Yang looked up at the shout, surprise on her face. "Penny? What-" A sudden thud distracted her, the red glow of the Nevermore suddenly above her. She grimaced as the Nevermore got back to its feet, its silver eyes narrowing at her. "Aw, man…"

The Nevermore let out a screech, rearing its head back to snap at Yang.

A sharp whistle suddenly sounded, making the Grimm freeze. A hand suddenly waved in front of its right eyes, drawing its attention.

Neo smirked cheekily at it from her perch at the end of its beak.

Penny paused in her attempts to rise, just as perplexed as Ilia and Ciel. The three looked to their left in confusion.

Neo smirked back at them, her hand raised towards the Nevermore.

Ciel looked between the two Neos. Then she remembered their fight with the Deathstalkers. "Oh," she said with a blink. "Clever."

Neo gave her a slight bow that was only slightly mocking.

The Nevermore, apparently over its brief confusion, threw its head back with a roar. The copy-Neo flew into the air, not even attempting to escape as it practically swan-dived right into the beast's mouth. Yang, not having seen the original Neo yet, yelped as the Nevermore's mouth snapped close, the copy exploding into shards on contact with its teeth.

The Nevermore made a warbling sound of satisfaction. It went to look back down at Yang when another whistle sounded. The Grimm swung its head to the left, finding another Neo standing on its wingtip. The copy-Neo stuck out her tongue at the beast, pulling down her eyelid to complete the insult. The Nevermore lunged at the copy, shattering it, only to find _another_ Neo on the ground a few yards away. With an almost frustrated shriek, the Nevermore lunged again, only for this one to leap back out of its way. The Nevermore rushed after it, snapping forward with awkward half-steps, away from Yang.

With the Nevermore successfully distracted, Penny motioned for her team to go to Yang. They moved as one, Neo having to jog backward to keep an eye on where her copies needed to be. "Yang!" Penny knelt at the blonde's side, looking her over for injuries. "Are you injured?"

Yang didn't register Penny's words at first, staring in bemusement at the Neo's that kept shattering and reappearing around the clearing. Giving herself a small shake, she turned to Penny with a weak but reassuring grin. "I'm okay, just… exhausted." She looked around at the four of them. "What the heck are you all doing out here?"

At that, Penny and Ilia shared a curious look, Ciel shuffling her feet. Neo just snorted, rolling her eyes as she focused on keeping the Grimm occupied. Penny finally gave a sheepish smile. "Team training?"

Yang blinked. "Team… you four…" She looked them all over again, this time in appraisal. "Huh."

_**Scrrraaaaw!** _

A piercing shriek made them cover their ears. The Nevermore had finally lost patience with Neo's copies. Even as copy-Neo waved its arms to draw its attention, the Nevermore rose to its full height. It spread its wings wide, electricity crackling across its body as it started shedding rose petals.

Yang groaned as she leapt to her feet. "Oh no, ya don't!" she yelled, throwing her hands up as she curved her fingers.

With a mighty flap, the Nevermore shot into the air. Before it could get very high, a large yellow glyph appeared right above it. The Grimm shrieked as it smashed through the yellow glyph-

-and smacked into the red one above it.

Its momentum stopped dead, the Nevermore slammed back to the ground with a groan, shards of yellow and red raining down around it. It raised its head, silver eyes burning as it searched for the cause of its frustration.

It found it in the form of a superspeed scythe slash.

The Nevermore roared in pain as Ruby blurred into the side of its beak, Crescent Rose's blade flashing in the moonlight as it sunk into the inside of its mouth. As it reared back in pain, Ruby used the movement to swing around, flipping through the air to land in a crouch before the group. She glanced back at Yang, then had a double-take at the others. "Penny? Neo? What-?"

"Training exercise." Penny and Ilia said at the same time. They glanced at each other in surprise, before Penny focused back on the current problem. "Ruby, what's going on?"

"Um… well-" Ruby was cut off by the Nevermore getting back to its feet. "No, no! Don't let it get off the ground!" She hit Crescent Rose's transformation switch, aiming the rifle at the beast's left wing. With a crack, ice encased the limb's joint, making it fall limp. But with a single shudder, the Nevermore easily cracked the ice, shaking it off in chunks.

Understanding Ruby's panic, Penny formed her jetpack and took to the air. Hovering over the Nevermore with a determined look, she rose her blades around her, then started charging her lasers.

" **Starburst Canon!"**

The group below shielded their eyes as fourteen rays of light converged into one, a great green beam of light outshining the red glow of the Nevermore. The Grimm let out a startled screech, throwing its wings over its head just before the beam struck. The beam broke as it beat against the Nevermores wings, sparks of green singeing the grass around it as it was slowly pushed back across the clearing. Shockingly, the Grimm managed to plant its talons firmly into the ground, weathering the beam as it continued to fire.

Penny grit her teeth in strain. Her eyes flickered slightly as she felt her energy drain quickly from the continued blast. Her eyes darted across the battlefield, searching for options. Her eyes widened. "Ilia! Ciel!"

The two looked up in surprise.

"Get behind it while I keep it occupied! Neo, give them a distraction!"

It took a second for her orders to register. Neo gave a wide grin and a salute, throwing both hands out. A pair of copy-Neo's formed in front of her, running right towards the Nevermore and running circles around its legs.

Ciel looked between Penny and the Nevermore in shock, before schooling her face and swallowing down her nerves. "Right."

Ilia nodded, then looked to Ciel. "You go wide on the left. I'll go right." Without waiting for a response, Ilia took off running… and vanished from sight.

Ciel stared at the thin air for a moment, before grimacing back at the Nevermore. "I wish I could do that," she muttered as she took off running.

Ruby looked over the clearing, thinking she understood what Penny was planning. "Yang, think we can give them some covering fire?" she asked as she changed clips.

"So long as Ilia knows not to run into our bullets," Yang quipped as she cocked Ember Celica.

The sisters blurred to the sides of the clearing, flanking Penny's position as they started laying into the Grimm, Crescent Rose and Ember Celica roaring in tandem as round after round tore into its red flesh. Its attention torn between the three lines of fire and the copy- Neo's dancing around its ankles, the creature took no notice of Ciel circling behind it, running low to stay out of Yang's crossfire.

Once behind the Nevermore, Ciel slammed the butt of her knife into the bottom of her pistol's magazine. With a twist and a pull, the two weapons connected, the magazine going in line with the barrel as it extended into a long pole. The gun barrel flared at the end, and the knife-blade split to reveal a curved secondary blade at its base.

Her pike fully formed, Ciel ran right at the back of the Nevermore, then thrust the gun end into the ground and flipped over it. She pulled the trigger at the height of her flip, the shot vaulting her into the air. She barely registered as Ilia reappeared on her left, electrified blade sparking as she raised it high over her head with both hands. Trying to ignore the intense heat from Penny's beam, the two let out a yell as they brought their blades down right into the back of the Nevermore's neck. At the same time, Neo's copies shattered away, revealing the real Neo leaping up from between where they'd been, driving her blade into the Grimm's unprotected neck.

The Nevermore _shrieked_ , an earth-trembling shudder running through its form. It threw its head up in pain, out of its wings and right into Penny's blast.

Ilia, Ciel, and Neo jumped clear as the Nevermore was thrown back, its cries echoing throughout the forest. Its steaming body slammed heavily to the ground. Penny cut off her attack, her swords drooping around her as she relaxed from her stance.

For a moment, the forest was blissfully silent. Then the Nevermore let out a dazed croon.

"You've got to be kidding me," Yang groaned, Ruby whimpering next to her.

The Nevermore lifted its head. They all got back into their battle stances, preparing for another attack. But instead of rushing to its feet like before, the Nevermore instead swung its head to the side… and locked eyes with Ruby.

Ruby's breath hitched. She felt… _something_ within her as the Nevermore's silver eyes bored into her own. It was like the Link, except instead of the constant subtleness at the back of her mind, this was front and center. Not even emotions, just… something _raw_. Something frustrated, confused, and… _hurt._

Before Ruby could try to understand what this meant, the Nevermore groaned. It attempted to get its feet under itself, straining to move its wings up. With a mournful call, it slumped to the ground and shattered into a sea of crimson light and rose petals.

As the red wisps faded away in the night air, Ruby and Yang slumped to the ground. Yang let out a chuckle as she watched the last of the rose petals drift. "Damn, sis, you don't do anything halfway, do you? That thing was way too durable."

Ruby groaned as she flopped backward. "I don't know what I did, Yang! I just made the thing!"

"You... you _made_ it?"

The two looked up at Penny's voice. She and the others were regrouping around them, giving them startled and concerned looks.

"Uh…" Ruby shrunk under the attention. She chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of her neck. "K-kinda…?"

Ilia let out a strangled breath. "Kind- How do you kinda make a Grimm!?"

Yang chuckled when Ruby cringed at their baffled looks, deciding to answer for her. "Ruby's been practicing how to do that summoning thing Weiss and Winter can do. _That_ was the first successful attempt."

Neo's eyes went wide, looking Ruby up and down with new appraisal. After a moment, she gave her a thumbs up and large smile that was only slightly sarcastic.

" _That_ was successful?" Ciel couldn't help but ask.

Ruby cringed but managed a sheepish grin. "Well, it didn't break immediately, which is a first."

"But I think you still missed a couple steps, sis." Yang gave Ruby a gentle noogie, which Ruby just grumbled under until it stopped. Yang then sighed. "Guess we should call Blake and let her know we took care of it. Or, you guys took care of it." She grinned up at the group around them. "Thanks for that."

Penny beamed in response. "It... was no trouble." She didn't notice the side-eye Neo and Ciel gave each other. "I'm sure you... would have handled... it on your own."

Ruby and Yang looked at each other in apprehension. "Yeah… maybe if-" Ruby paused, suddenly eyeing Penny with concern. "Penny? Are you... out of breath?"

A moment of blank silence went between Penny's teammates. They hadn't noticed it at first, since the fight had left them all breathing heavily, but… They turned to look at, and were stunned to see, Penny taking deep gulps of air, her shoulders rising and falling heavily with every breath. Ciel's eyes were wide as saucers when she saw the air from Penny's exhales ripple. "Are… you okay?" she found herself asking.

Penny's cheeks gained a green tint at the attention. "I'm… um… ventilating?" She grinned sheepishly at their dumbfounded expressions. "Using that much energy… so quickly… I overheated a little." As she spoke, her breathing started to even out. "I'll be okay in a minute."

Ruby stared up at Penny in awe, then shot to her feet. Yang looked skyward at the familiar sparkle in Ruby's eyes, giving Penny a sympathetic look as Ruby launched into her questions. "You can do that? That's so cool! Are you always doing that or only when you overheat? Is there some kind of threshold for how hot yo-"

Ruby suddenly cut off mid-word, her mouth partway open. She blinked once then twice, her expression shifting from excitement to confusion, then worry. Behind her, Yang sucked in a harsh gasp. Their eyes went wide, faces going white. Their heads snapped towards Beacon.

While the others were confused by the sudden change, Ilia felt her stomach drop. On the sister's necks, their Marks were glowing violet. "Something wrong with Blake?"

"She… she's panicking," Yang muttered faintly. "Why-"

"Yang?"

A chill fell over the group at the tone of Ruby's voice. She suddenly sounded younger and… smaller. They look to her, finding her, with eyes closed, facing… south. Up and _away_ from Beacon.

Ruby's eyes flew open, naked fear on her face. "Why… why is Weiss all the way over there?"

Yang's face paled further. "What!?" She closed her eyes, only to open them seconds later. "Oh no." She reached for her scroll, which started ringing before she could even open it. She didn't even need to check before she answered. "Blake? Blake, what happened?"

The others could barely understand Blake's muffled panic as she spoke rapidly, mixed with a second voice, which Penny recognized as Specialist Winter, yelling at someone in the background. But one sentence they made out sent their stomachs plummeting.

" _Yang, they took her!_

_"They took Weiss!"_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Betaed by Covert Weapon
> 
> A/n: ...I regret nothing?
> 
> Well, that's not true. I'm sorry that it took so long to get this one out, and that it ends on yet another cliffhanger. Would it help if I say that A. the missing Wiess thing will be addressed next chapter and B: the next chapter should be out by the end of next week?
> 
> Credit to Clovyre for the name Speedymore. I love it and I'm keeping it.
> 
> If there's anyone seeing this that's a Star Trek fan, allow me to shamelessly plug another of my fledgling stories "Giving Us All She's Got." Long and short of the plot. The Enterprise is sentient. That's it, really.
> 
> Hope you're all enjoying this start to the holidays as best you can. Stay safe and I'll see you at the next one!


	6. First Frost

_**Earlier, near the Infirmary** _

_Blake bit back a yelp as her feet skid against the linoleum flooring, just barely keeping herself from slamming face-first into the hall wall, black rose petals swirling around her. Muttering a curse, she kicked her heartbeat back up and took off, ignoring the utter ache in her chest._

How does Ruby make this look so easy? _She tried to force down the irritation she aimed towards herself. With all the Semblance training they'd been doing, she'd actually thought she was nearing Ruby's level with the girl's own Semblance. Now she knew the truth: she could keep up with Ruby just fine outside. In big open spaces with plenty of room to turn and very little to run into._

_But in close quarters? Like, say, the narrow hallways and stairwells between the first-year dorms and the Infirmary? She was surprised she hadn't taken out a wall yet, or one of the curious students slowly filling the halls, awoken by the cry of Ruby's summon._

_However Ruby could stay at superspeed with all the sheer turns without losing speed for even a second, Blake had no clue how to pull it off. Instead, she had to keep dropping in and out of super speed at every turn so as not to crash. She could practically hear Ruby's concerned yelling, warning how her heart was going to explode or something._

If my stomach doesn't turn inside out first _, Blake thought miserably as she made the thankfully last turn. Seriously, if she didn't know any better, she'd think her body was trying to tear itself apart each time she got up to speed._

_Unfortunately, finally stopping her mad dash through the campus brought her adrenaline rush to an abrupt end. She stumbled to the wall, her legs shaking as rose petals pooled around her ankles. She took deep ragged breaths, forcing herself forward while using the wall for support. She could feel her skin burning from the rushing blood, her chest actively hurting. She tried to ignore the pain as she stumbled towards the infirmary, trying to gather some measure of decorum._

_As she neared the last corner, she was finally able to push away from the wall, her breathing finally calming. Blake felt a pang of remorse at what she was about to do. Weiss needed all the rest she could get, but right now she and their Mates needed all the_ help _they could get._

_Which was why Blake was both surprised and relieved to find someone else loitering just outside the infirmary._

_Winter peered through the blinds just past the infirmary, one hand resting against the hilt of her blade as she looked around suspiciously at the increasingly lightening windows. She whirled around at the sound of Blake's footsteps, relaxing only slightly when she saw who it was._

" _It's just me, Winter," Blake said, walking up to the woman. "Visiting Weiss?"_

" _Blake," Winter said in greeting. "I was just going to check on her when I heard…" There was confusion on her face as she spoke, before a spark of realization overtook her features. She glanced out the window again, then slowly narrowed her eyes at the Faunus. "Blake… please tell me that ungodly screech I just heard had nothing to do with you or your Mates."_

_Blake tried not to cringe, her cat ears pressing down against her hair. "Um…"_

_Winter pinched the bridge of her nose, sighing. "Of course." She then gave Blake a critical look up and down. "And dare I ask why you are in your sleep clothes?"_

_Blake flushed, unconsciously pulling her robe's sash tighter around her waist. "We kind of… panicked. Ruby and Yang ran off to try and fix it. I was hoping Weiss could tell us how, but honestly, you might be able to help more."_

_Winter let out a beleaguered sigh, though Blake hoped she wasn't imagining the fond look that sparkled briefly in her eyes. "Well, if I can help, I will. What do you need to know?"_

_Blake let out a relieved breath, smiling up at the older woman. "Oh, thank you. How exactly do you get rid of a summon?"_

_A moment passed in awkward silence, Winter's smile frozen on her face. She blinked once slowly. "...I- I'm sorry… what?"_

_Blake felt her shoulders tense at Winter's bemused tone. "Um… do you know how to get rid of an out of control summon?"_

_Winter blinked again, rapidly. She slowly looked back at the window. When she turned back, it was with the oddest expression, disbelief mixed with denial. "W-why do you need to know that?"_

_Blake shifted uncomfortably under Winter's suddenly sharp eyes. She cleared her throat as she tried to explain. "Well, um… we didn't know she was doing this until tonight, but Ruby's apparently been blaming herself for… what Adam did to Weiss." She paused at the way her heart clenched but forced the feeling away. "So… I guess to try and make it up to her, Ruby's been trying to figure out how the summoning glyph works so she could help Weiss with it. But the Nevermore she made just roared at us, took off, and…" Blake trailed off, having just looked up and noticed the wide-eyed stare Winter was giving her. Ducking her head under the intense look, she finished, "So... how do we stop it?"_

_Winter just kept staring for a moment. "...stop ...Ruby's summon?" she asked haltingly, voiced detached._

_Blake cringed further at her tone. "Y-yes?"_

" _...a... complete summon?"_

_Blake winced. "Well, it's not complete. It went wild as soon as she-"_

_Winter cut her off. "But… corporeal? Fully-formed?" At Blake's confused look, she rushed to clarify. "All its limbs, full-sized… it looks complete?"_

" _I...I guess?"_

" _...on her first attempt?"_

" _Well, no. She said she'd been trying all week."_

" _... a week," Winter repeated faintly. Blake was pretty sure the woman wasn't so much looking at her than through her at this point. "She made a fully formed Nevermore summon after one week."_

" _Well, Yang and I helped her work it out tonight."_

" _...it took me eight months."_

_Suddenly, Blake understood Winter's change in mood. "...o-oh." She glanced awkwardly to the side. She tried to muster a sheepish grin. "S...sorry…?"_

" _You're sure it was fully formed?" Winter took a step forward, making Blake lean back as the woman loomed over her. "It wasn't too small, or… or the beak didn't look right, maybe? Perhaps-"_

" _Winter!" Blake didn't mean to shout, but her nervousness was quickly being outweighed by annoyance and offense on Ruby's behalf. Winter stumbled back a half-step, allowing her to rush forward. "I will gladly go over what exactly Ruby did just as soon as we don't have to worry about it anymore. Because right now, a glowing red Nevermore is flying out over the Emerald Forest at superspeed, and we have no idea what to do with it. So… help, please?" Blake finished with a pleading look._

_Winter looked down at Blake with a startled expression, as if stunned at being talked back to. Then she blinked and her shoulders straightened. Clearing her throat, Winter nodded. "Right. You're right, Blake. I apologize. I should focus on-" She blinked again, her brow furrowing. "Wait… did you say super-speed?"_

_Blake pulled a face. "Yeah… I don't know if it's normal for a glyph summon, but when the Nevermore took off it kind of blasted off in a burst of sparks and rose petals, just like Ruby's Semblance." At Winter's incredulous look, Blake's face pinched. "That's not normal, is it?"_

_Winter put a hand to her forehead, rubbing at her temples. "Not even remotely." With a great heave of a sigh, Winter shifted back to a more professional posture. "Unfortunately, when a summon goes out of control, there's not much you can do outside of outright destroying it, just like a normal Grimm. Otherwise, you just have to wait for it to run out of energy, but depending on the size and power of the summon, that can take a while."_

_Blake grimaced. "I was afraid of that."_

_Winter shot her a sympathetic look. "You said it headed towards the Emerald Forest?" At Blake's nod, Winter pulled out her scroll and started typing. "General Ironwood and Professor Ozpin should already be there overseeing a training exercise. If I let them know the situation, I'm sure they can lend Ruby and Yang assistance._

" _...oh." Blake's ears tipped further back, looking apprehensive at Winter's scroll. "I was hoping…"_

" _Not to involve the faculty?" At Blake's chagrined look, Winter had to roll her eyes. It was easy to forget sometimes that despite everything she and her team had done and been through, they were still so_ young _. "Blake, Ruby summoned a giant, angry, apparently superpowered Nevermore in the heart of Beacon Academy. If anything, coming clean now could only help you."_

_Blake didn't look convinced but chose to resign herself to the near-certainty of more punishment. Instead, she chose to shift gears. "Do you have any idea what Ruby did wrong?"_

" _She tried to use the most complicated of the Schnee glyphs without learning any of the lessons required," Winter shot back sharply. Seeing Blake flinch at her tone, Winter relented, if only slightly. "It's impressive that Ruby was able to create a summon at all, but without knowing how to control it, you're all lucky that it flying away is the worst it's done."_

_Blake frowned, amber eyes narrowed in thought. "So how does it work normally?"_

_Seeing only honest curiosity (and hoping to circumvent a repeat of this fiasco in the near future) Winter decided to explain. "A properly controlled summon is linked to the will of its summoner. If I summoned a Beowulf, for example, and wanted it to claw at an opponent from behind while I attack from the front, it would follow my thoughts, along with any new orders I willed it to do."_

_Blake nodded in understanding. "Okay… then why did Ruby's go wild?"_

_Winter thought. "She must not have had a clear objective when she first summoned it. If the summoner is inexperienced or distracted-" Winter's brow furrowed in frustration, recalling what she knew of Ruby. "...or_ impulsive _when summoning, the summon will latch onto whatever the summoner's last thoughts were and try to use those as orders. At that point, it will try to follow those 'orders' with all the single-mindedness of an actual Grimm."_

_At that, Blake frowned. Something didn't sound right. "Wait… it's following Ruby's last thoughts?"_

" _More than likely. It could be anything. She was probably thinking about how to use the summon in combat, which is why it flew towards the forest. It's looking for a Grimm to fight."_

_But Blake just shook her head, frown deepening. "I... don't think that's what Ruby was thinking, though." She thought back, recalling their last conversation. "Right before the Nevermore took off, the last thing Ruby said was-"_

_Blake stopped, eyes widening. Something cold started to form around her heart._

_Winter looked up at Blake's sudden silence. She blinked in surprise at the look of dread on the Faunus's face. "What? What did Ruby say?"_

_Blake swallowed thickly, eyes locked onto Winter's. "She said she couldn't wait for Weiss to see it."_

_Winter's brow pinched in confusion, not understanding. "But… then it should have come…" Her breath caught, the pieces clicking into place._

_Blake and Winter stared at each other, dread and denial mirroring on their faces. Then Blake exploded into a flurry of black petals, rushing through the infirmary doors fast enough to blow them off their hinges. Winter ran after her, her mind screaming at her to move faster as ice filled her veins._

_She heard Blake's horrified gasp long before she burst into Weiss's room, finding the Faunus clasping both hands over her mouth as she stood over Weiss's empty bed, the window next to it hanging open._

* * *

**Now**

"Well, what the hell are we standing here for!?"

Ruby stared at the scroll in Yang's hand, only half-hearing Yang and Blake's panicky shouting match across the speaker. Penny and her team watched the conversation in varying levels of shock, but might as well have been part of the background for all Ruby noticed them. She just couldn't process that Weiss… Weiss was…

She barely registered a hand falling on her shoulder. She met Neo's awkward concerned look, then stared back at the scroll, feeling Neo's fingers gently squeeze her shoulder.

" _We're not!"_ Blake shouted back, anger she didn't Feel bleeding into her voice. _"Winter and I just took off in Winter's airship-"_ As if summoned, the whine of jet engines sounded overhead. Ruby dimly tipped her head up, watching as the tiny dot of a small, oddly shaped white Bullhead screamed overhead, two standard ones following in formation. _"-we're going to try to catch up, but…"_

"But?" Yang shouted incredulously, gripping her scroll so tightly it was in danger of cracking. "But what?"

" _...we're not going to catch it."_ Blake's faint tone fell like a stone. She sounded empty, like she was forced to believe an impossible fact.

Yang's face went slack. "What…?"

" _We're… the Bullhead's going as fast as it can go, but… she's still moving further away. I can Feel it."_

Ruby watched the Bullheads scream into the distance. She blinked slowly, her vision shifting to the dark expanse of the Void. She watched the violet spot grow smaller and smaller, moving towards the tiny pinprick of white so far off, like a single star in the darkness slowly going out.

"How could they be going faster than you? I thought the Bullheads were the fastest thing in the sky!"

" _They are… in Vale."_ The change in voice took them by surprise.

"Winter?" Yang asked.

" _I'm sorry. Blake, um… needs a moment."_ It was a drastic understatement, Ruby could tell, given that the utter _Despair_ and _Fear_ Blake was exuding nearly brought her to her knees. _"But you are correct, Yang. The Bullhead is the fastest vessel on the public market. However,"_ There was a slight shake in the woman's voice that she was clearly trying to hold back. _"There is a faster vessel in the prototype stage: the Manta. One of Beacon's road cameras caught what looked like the smaller version of the ship flying south away from the school."_

"That is unlikely, Specialist Winter," Penny cut it, confusion mixing with her worry. Her eyes glowed green, text flying across her irises. "There are no Mantas on record as being flight ready."

" _Not on any official records."_ The scathing tone Winter's voice took on took them by surprise. _"The first functional prototype was given to a private collection, as a gift for funding the project."_

"Well… well, that's good, right?" Yang perked up, latching onto the barest spark of hope. "If there's only the one, we know where they're going, right?"

" _...Yang, it was given to my father."_

The world stopped.

"What…?" Ruby asked, her soft voice loud as a scream in the stunned silence. Neo's grip tightened on her shoulder.

Memories drifted back. Weiss talking about her father controlling her. Having to act like him to be near him. Afraid of turning into him. Afraid of him finding out about their unusual relationship. Worry that he'd disown her before she could take over the SDC and make it mean something.

" _...I don't know what he's thinking."_ Winter blurted out. _"He's given no indication that he wanted Weiss back. The last time I spoke with him he was completely flippant about her schooling. I can't believe… no, no, I can_ completely _believe the bastard would resort to kidnapping his own child. I just don't know why-"_

Ruby's breath hitched, Winter's words drawing forth a memory. A conversation between Blake and Weiss that the Faunus relayed to her in private, not wanting to break Weiss's trust but also not wanting to deal with this new worry alone:

* * *

_"You said before that you thought he'd disown you. Do you really think that will happen?"_

_Weiss let out a bitter scoff. "There's no question. I'm not going to let him control me anymore, and anything he can't control, he..._ _**removes** _ _."_

* * *

"I could go after them." Penny's voice cut through Winter's building rant, pulling Ruby from back to reality. Her teammates looked at her in surprise. Well, except for Ciel. She was staring at Yang's scroll with faint horror. "My top flying speed outclasses the Manta by a factor of 13.6%. I could catch up to them if I push myself."

Ilia put a hand on the android's shoulder, concern on her face. "Penny, do you have enough power for that? You used a lot just now."

Penny's brow furrowed. "I am currently at 73% power. I could sustain max speed for approximately three hours, twenty-seven minutes before dropping to critical levels." She gave Ilia a tight smile. "I will be okay, Friend Ilia."

"Okay, that's great, Penny, really, thank you," Yang rushed out, drawing their attention. "Small problem, though: you can't tell where Weiss is like we can. Without the Link, you'd be flying blind." She turned her attention back to the scroll. "Winter, would this Manta thing show up on radar or something?"

" _...no."_ Winter spat bitterly, reluctantly. _"I already called Vale air traffic control. They must be flying under the radar, and none of the airships are picking up its signal. Knowing him, Father likely removed any way to track it."_

Ruby ignored the constricting in her heart, ignored Yang's _Panic_ and _Helplessness_ , Blake's _Desperation_ and _Loss._ She slowly turned back towards Beacon, eyes panning down at the trail of destruction her Nevermore had created when it crashed. She looked from the path towards the pinprick of light that was Weiss.

_A straight line..._

"Dammit!" Yang yelled, her hair and eyes glowing. In her frustration, she whirled around and punched the tree behind her. She didn't bother watching it fall as she turned back to the stunned group. "Penny, what if you carried me or Ruby? Would that work?"

Penny's face pinched, turning apologetic. "Unlikely. The human body's not made for the speeds I can reach. If I flew slow enough to carry you, I wouldn't be fast enough to catch the Manta."

"Ruby's made for those speeds, though!" Yang disagreed, quickly looking towards her sister, who didn't react, still looking off into the distance. "She's hit the sound barrier with her Semblance before. If she keeps it turned on while you hold her, she could handle it!"

Penny frowned. "Um, I don't think I can hold Ruby if she keeps her Semblance on, Yang."

"Why not!?" Yang shouted in frustration. "It's just super speed!"

At that, Penny tilted her head, clearly confused. "Are you certain? From watching her, I was under the impression Ruby's Semblance was-"

"Winter."

Ruby's voice cut through Yang and Penny's conversation. They looked towards her and were briefly taken aback by the serious look in her eyes. "Sis?" Yang questioned.

Ruby ignored her, focusing on the scroll. "Winter, why did my summon lose control?"

There was a beat of silence, then Winter's voice returned, incensed. _"Ruby, I hardly think now is the time-"_

"Answer the question!"

Everyone flinched away from Ruby, Yang cringing as Ruby's eyes flashed red as they bored in the scroll in her hand. She'd never heard Ruby sound so commanding and…. angry.

" _... you didn't give it a clear command when you created it,"_ Winter said hesitantly. _"Without any orders to follow, it latched onto your most recent thought."_

Ruby swallowed thickly. "I was thinking about Weiss."

" _Blake… suggested as much. Ruby-"_

"Was the Nevermore flying towards Weiss?" Ruby cut her off.

There was a pause. _"I… I don't know how-"_

Ruby wasn't having it. "Winter, it was using my Semblance. And it crashed right between Beacon and the direction Weiss is heading. Do you think it was heading towards Weiss?"

" _I...I…"_

" _Yes."_

Ruby struggled not to sob. Blake sounded so _broken_.

"Blake…" Yang said achingly, looking just as lost.

" _I think so, Ruby."_ Blake took a shuddering breath. _"From what Winter told me… I think you're right."_

"...it was heading towards Weiss," Ruby's shoulders shook as she clenched her hands tight. "It was heading towards Weiss," She looked up at Yang, seeing her horror mirrored on her sister's face. "And we stopped it."

" _Ruby-"_ Winter's voice came back, now in apprehension. Ruby figured the woman had realized what Ruby was thinking. Good. That would save her time from explaining.

"How do I do it right?"

Winter let out a harsh breath. _"Ruby, summoning takes time a-and training! You can't just-"_

"Winter, I'm not asking permission!" Ruby ignored the raw feeling in her throat. "If my summon can fly as fast as I can run, me and Penny can both catch up to Weiss. Now, you can either help me or I can fumble through it myself!"

There was silence on the other end of the line. Ruby huffed for breath from her outburst. Her nerves ratcheted up with every passing second, knowing that Weiss was moving further and further away.

" _...fine,"_ Winter finally said, now sounding just as broken as Blake. _"Summon like you did before, but this time have a clear command in mind. Whatever you want it to do, keep it up throughout the whole process. From making the glyph to completing the summon, don't stop focusing. Repeat the orders, visualize its actions, every moment of the process. It'll run wild again otherwise."_

Ruby nodded. "Okay," she muttered softly, then repeated stronger. "Okay. I can do that." She turned away from the group, pulling away from Neo's grasp and ignoring the worry on her cousin's face. She walked a few paces into the clearing, where the Nevermore had once been.

"Ruby…" Yang started in concern, reaching a hand out. Whatever she was going to say died in her throat, and instead her face hardened into a determined mask. "Do it, Little Sis."

Ruby nodded, letting the _Confidence_ Yang was putting out swirl around her. She lifted her arms, fingers curling. She called back to that first fight, recalling the feeling she had when her and her team, her Mates, defeated the Nevermore. The awe, the joy, the thrill... She took those feelings and held them tight. After a moment of thought, her hands glowed red.

_Help me save Weiss._

As the glyph spread out before her, Ruby pictured in her mind what she wanted to happen. She looked down at the glyph, seeing the Nevermore staring back at her.

_Help me save Weiss._

The Nevermore rose through the glyph, its silver eyes never leaving her own. Ruby couldn't help but feel she was being judged somehow. She ignored those fledgling thoughts, repeating, visualizing.

_**Help me save Weiss.** _

The glyph faded away, and Ruby was left staring up at the Nevermore as it glared down at her. Now she was certain; there was a defiant pull at the front of her mind, wild and untamed. It was a jumble of clashing feelings, but she could make out one that wrapped around them all.

Anger.

Ruby gulped. She could feel the eyes of the others behind her, could hear the faint sound of steel on cloth as someone discreetly pulled out a blade. Ruby ignored them, trying to grasp that strange Link-like feeling.

"I'm sorry," she found herself saying. She didn't even know if the Nevermore had a mind of its own. Weiss had said summons were an extension of the summoner. Did that mean it was part of her?

...well, that explained the anger. If someone had stopped her from saving Weiss….

Ruby raised a hand towards the Nevermore but paused when it made a low rumble in the back of its throat. Ruby just stared it down, ignoring Yang inhale sharply behind her. "Please," she breathed.

"Help me save Weiss."

* * *

Far past the Emerald Forest, Winter had to fight back tears. Everything had been pulled out from under her, and there was nothing left to do but try to force her ship to move faster. It didn't help that she had an emotionally broken Faunus sitting in the seat beside her, who had run out of tears and could only watch the horizon with red eyes, letting Winter know they were still on course.

Winter tried to hold it together. She had faced impossible odds before. She'd never let her father beat her before. She wouldn't start now, especially with her sister on the line.

She was startled from her thoughts when Blake suddenly let out a gasp. Winter glanced over, finding the Faunus sitting up straight, her ears shooting high.

"Blake? What-?"

" _What the- bogey incoming! Six o'clock!"_

Winter's eyes went wide at the sudden yell from her earpiece. She jerked on her joystick as her radar suddenly blared to life. The ship rolled to the side, the bullheads beside her doing the same.

Blake turned sharply to the left, her eyes wide. Winter barely had time to do the same as a large streak of red shot right through their formation, a smaller streak of green right on its heels.

Winter struggled against the joystick as a shock wave suddenly rocked the airship. As the ship settled, she stared incredulously at the green and red dots disappearing off into the distance.

"She did it," she heard Blake breathe, hope in the Faunus's voice for the first time since leaving the academy.

Winter glanced at her incredulously, before tapping at the display screen beside her joystick. She pulled up the footage from the ship's rear-facing camera, rolling it back to catch a look at what had just shot by them.

Her mouth fell open.

Penny's lips were pulled back in a firm line as she stared determinedly ahead, her arms pinned at her sides as her jetpack spewed trails of jade fire. Just below her on her right, the crimson Nevermore sparked with energy, red rose petals billowing from its wings as silver light wisped from its eyes. And standing at the base of its neck, holding tight to Crescent Rose as the scythe's blade hooked around the horn of the Nevermore's mask, Ruby Rose stood resolute, teeth grit and eyes blazing as her hood trailed behind her.

Winter looked up from the display in awe of the impossibility before her, watching the green and red lights become pinpricks in the distance. Deep in her soul, she felt something like hope flicker back to life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/n: Okay, I don't usually ask for fanart, but the temptation is just too much on this one. Anyone out there willing to draw up Penny and Ruby flying off but in the same style as Piccolo and Goku flying off to fight Raditz? I'll even pay for commission if anyone's interested. The image is stuck in my head and I'd love to see it in the physical.
> 
> B/n: (that's Beta's note, lol) So, likewise, I never do this sort of thing. These are the author's stories that I just help polish a little, and I would never be so presumptuous as to add in anything, including just a note. But after getting permission from OI, I would just like to say I would also like a copy of that art piece, and will also pay full commission if asked. It's something I fully need in my life, dangit. Anyway, back to your regularly scheduled author!
> 
> Hope you all liked this one. Expect the next one soon!


	7. Next Season

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Raven gets a wake-up call.

Raven sighed as she removed her katana from her hip, laying it across the coffee table as she sunk into the couch. She tried to tune out the partying/fighting of the clan in the dockyards outside her makeshift living quarters, likely drinking away most of the money Ironwood had paid them for their 'assistance' fighting the White Fang. Vernal could deal with them for a while, and she knew Qrow was no doubt out among the rabble drinking his fill. It had been a long day of corralling her men for their return to Mistral and fighting the eternal urge to march over to Beacon and dangle Ozpin out his office window. Not to mention worrying about her daughters.

Without meaning to, she felt the corner of her lips twitch upwards. It was… different, having Ruby know who she was, _what_ she was to her. Nice, even. There was a constant lost look whenever the speedster looked at her, a twist in her lips like she didn't know whether to smile or scowl. And Yang clearly didn't know what to make of her either. Raven considered it a minor miracle that a brief black eye was all her eldest had dealt her so far.

But… they knew her. They knew who she was, what she'd done, and why she'd done it. And… didn't hate her. It was more than she'd ever hoped.

...

Raven let out an amused scoff.

Wow, she'd set the bar low.

Still, pathetic or not, what she now had with her daughters was leagues beyond what she'd expected to have. And if this was all she'd ever get… she'd take it gladly.

Raven let out a contented sigh as she settled into the couch, letting her eyes slip closed. Her daughters didn't hate her, she'd reconnected with her remaining loved ones, the clan had gotten paid and maybe… just maybe she'd backed Ozpin into a deep enough corner that she might finally get some answers. If only for the moment, life was good.

_Bzzt-bzzt._

...well, that was nice while it lasted.

With an annoyed grumble, Raven pulled out her scroll. She didn't bother hiding her annoyance as she answered. "What do you want, Roman?"

" _Well, hello to you too, Rae, how ya doing? Actually, I don't care. We need your help, like,_ now _."_

Raven felt her eye twitch. The only thing keeping her temper in check was the familiar tone in the conman's voice, the one reserved for when he was confused, worried, and beyond _done_ with whatever crap he'd fallen into. With a grunt, she pulled herself up to a sitting position, snatching her katana off the table. "Roman, what's wrong?"

" _Oh, so many things! My whole criminal empire's been dusted, my kid's apparently going to be a_ Huntress _now, your kid just flew out of the city on her new pet Nevermore-"_

"What!?" Raven yelled as she shot up off the couch, staring at her scroll incredulously.

" _Oh-ho, I'll get to that in a second. But first and foremost, my reason for interrupting your oh-so-important evening: Snowflake got kidnapped."_

It took Raven a second to run through Roman's catalog of nicknames. "You mean Weiss?"

" _Give the girl a prize! Yeah, seems her daddy dearest decided to unenroll and take her home without telling anyone, herself included."_

Raven sighed wearily. It just never ended. "Since _you're_ calling me and not Ruby or Yang, I'm guessing it's Ozpin that needs me for a rescue plan?" Because all she needed was for _him_ to ruin her evening…

" _Actually, it was my idea. Could you just portal to the kid and get her back?"_

Raven blinked, a wave of worry clashing with confusion. "Are Yang and Ruby with her?"

There was a pause on the other end of the line, followed by a long-suffering sigh. _"Well, there's my answer. Rae, ya seriously haven't bonded to the kid yet?"_

Raven froze, her mind stalling. "Wha- no! Why… Roman why would I-" She sucked in a harsh breath, forcing herself to calm. "Roman… my whole life, I've only ever bonded with my team, my daughters, and you. _Why_ would I bond with a girl I only met this month?"

" _Uhh… 'cause she's your kid now too?"_

"...what?"

Roman had the audacity to laugh. _"Aw, jeez, Rae, I thought you were the smart one!"_

"Roman…" Raven ground out dangerously.

" _Alright, alright, fine! Guess I'll spell it out for you. Red and Sunshine did the whole Faunus Mating thing with Snowflake and Kitty Cat, right?"_

Something heavy dropped in Raven's gut. "Yeah…?"

" _Well, I might be new to this whole wholesome-foursome thing the kids got going on, but with the bit of reading I did I picked up one pretty important thing: as far as the Faunus are concerned? Mated equals married."_

Raven stared ahead at nothing.

" _Did you really not know this?"_ Roman asked, sounding genuinely curious.

She swallowed the lump in her throat. "I… I did, but… I guess it hadn't clicked in my head yet."

Roman clicked his tongue irritably. _"Well, I'd congratulate ya on your new inlaws, but you're not-so-little oversight just bit that kid in the ass,_ hard _. You got Qrow there?"_

Pushing away uncomfortable feelings pooling in her stomach (she refused to call it guilt), Raven shifted into professional mode. "He's here." She glanced at the firelight flickering through the shaded windows. "Somewhere."

Roman snorted. _"Getting loaded, you mean. Well, sober him up and get your asses ready. Little Red'll probably appreciate some backup when she catches up to Snowflake's kidnappers."_

"Yeah, about that. _Why_ is Ruby going after her girlfriend alone?" Raven asked, her voice tight.

" _Okay, tone down the rage, demon lady. One, she's not alone. Ironwood's robot kid is with her. And two, she just kind of took off. Guess she figured she needed to go now since she was the fastest, which… can't really say she'd be wrong thinking that."_

"Why?"

" _Because… one second. Yo, Ironsides!"_ Raven flinched slightly as Roman's voice burst loudly from the scroll. _"How fast is Little Red going?... wait, seriously?"_ Roman let out a low whistle. _"Damn. Yeah, Rae, the kid's going over Mach 1. Gotta say I think she made the right call going ahead."_

Raven's eyes widened. "Ruby can run that fast?" She let out an impressed huff. "It took Summer years before she could-"

" _What? Oh, right, kinda skipped that part! Yeah, kid ain't running. She's flying."_

Raven's brow furrowed. "You mean… in a ship?" Even as she asked, she knew that couldn't be the case, given what Roman had said already.

Roman let out a chuckle. _"Not exactly. You remember hearing back in school about old man Schnee's Semblance? Y'know, the same one he passed down to his grandkids? How he could make his own Grimm?"_

A thought popped into Raven's head, one she didn't want to entertain. "I never saw it personally, but I remember the stories. Roman, you don't mean-"

" _You remember the bonus your munchkins got thanks to their little four-way?"_

As much as Raven wanted to snap at Roman for his brashness (she might have no problem with her daughters' odd relationship, but she did _not_ need those images in her head), she was left numb as his words sunk in. She slowly lowered her head into her hand, trying to rub away the budding headache. "Tell me you're not serious."

Roman snorted at her dazed voice from the other end of the line. _"I wish. Little Red is currently two-hundred miles south and counting, soaring away on the back of a red, stupidly fast, very big Nevermore."_ He chuckled semi-manically. _"Super-speed, super-strength, clones, glyphs, and now she has her own Grimm. It's official, Rae: your kid scares me more than you do."_

Raven gaped for a moment, stunned and… Baffled? Frightened? Proud?... before latching onto the one part of Roman's words that sounded slightly like reality. "Two-hundred miles?"

" _And counting."_ Roman's tone lost most of its humor. _"These guys are really booking it. Red's catching up, but if she doesn't do it soon, they're… well…"_

"Well… what?"

Roman let out a heavy breath. _"They're heading straight south, Rae. They keep at it… let's just say where they end up could bring back a lot of bad memories for you and Qrow."_

Raven stiffened at his words. A phantom pain ran through her right leg. "Crap…"

" _Yep. So, get Qrow, then get over here. Oz and Ironwood are keeping tabs on Red through Laser Lass. She manages to catch up to Snowflake, you portal in the cavalry. Got it?"_

Raven gave her head a small shake. "Yeah. Anything else?"

" _Yeah,"_ Roman's usual smarmy tone reappeared. _"Think about extending your portal club membership. This mess would be over already if you'd done it earlier."_

He hung up before Raven could retort. Not that she had one in mind, too floored by his audacity.

After staring at her blank scroll for a stunned moment, Raven looked up with blazing eyes. Katana on her hip, she stormed out of the barracks. The party was in full swing, six or seven bonfires spread out across the grounds. Scanning the mass of humanity for Qrow and Vernal, Raven fought back a growl when she didn't immediately see them. She prowled the drunken horde, waving off slurred greetings and offers to join in the festivities. If she didn't find those two soon, she'd just portal straight to them, even if it gave half the clan a heart attack.

In the middle of her search, she caught something out the corner of her eye. Not Qrow or Vernal, but a head of orange hair bobbing through the crowd. For a split-second, Roman's words replayed in her mind, making Raven freeze in confusion. But when she turned to look at the girl fully, she quickly recognized the differences. Short bobbed hair, tanner skin, and a good two inches shorter. Raven watched as the girl dodged drunken antics with a grin, the serving platters she balanced in her hands quickly emptying as she replaced every empty bottle and mug held out to her. Once she saw the girl was nearly empty-handed and moving back towards the kegs and coolers, Raven called out. "Percy!"

The girl startled at the call, nearly dropping one of her platters. There were a few good-natured jeers at the girl's fumbling, all of which the girl ignored as she turned her lime-colored eyes on the approaching Raven. She smiled up at the clan leader. "Hi, boss! Want a drink?"

Raven fought down her rising nerves, holding a hand up. "Not right now, kid. Have you seen Vernal or my brother?"

Percy's smile fell a bit at her leader's serious tone, setting her platters down on a nearby table. "Well, I saw Vernal helping a few guys who passed out to the far barracks ten minutes ago. And Mister Qrow is playing cards at the other end of the yards." She pointed towards the farthest fire. Her brow pinched apprehensively. "Though, I'll warn you. He's already pretty… sloshed."

Raven let out a snort. "He'll sober up fast enough after what I have to tell him. Thanks, Percy."

But before she could walk away, Percy spoke up. "Um, ma'am? Is this about…" She faltered and trailed off, eyes turning down. She clasped her hands together, one covered by a green fingerless glove. She looked at her gloved hand, biting her bottom lip. "You know…"

Raven frowned at the thought. "No, it's not that." She then hesitated, her brow furrowing at the girl's nervousness. "But… it'll probably come up soon."

Percy grimaced, taking a shaky breath. "O-Okay…"

Seeing the girl shutting down, Raven put a hand on her shoulder. "Hey." She felt a twinge at how Percy jumped, her eyes wide in surprise. Raven put on a calm expression, making sure the girl was looking her in the eye. "I don't know what the old man is planning, but I can promise you this: it _will_ be okay. You're Clan, kid. And being Clan makes you family." She frowned slightly. "You know what family means, right?"

Percy perked up slightly. She lifted her gloved hand to her neck, tugging gently on a silver chain that disappeared under her shirt. She swallowed, then a small smile crossed her lips. "I do. Thank you, Ma'am."

Raven's lips quirked faintly. She nodded. "I won't let you get hurt, kid. You'll be okay." Removing her hand, she turned back to the drunken rabble. "Now… where the hell is- Qrow!" She suddenly shouted, eyes zeroing in on the opposite row of tables. "Qrow, put down the damn bottle, we've got a problem!"

_"Wha- Ahh, what the hell happened now!?"_

Laughter erupted from Qrow's indignant half-drunk yell. Percy stifled a giggle as she watched Raven march off, the crowd parting for her as she stomped forward. She traced her finger along the chain, resting on the hard lump right at the base of her collar. On a whim, she started to pull it out of her shirt.

"Hey!" A gruff shout rang out from a nearby bonfire. "We're running dry over here! What's the holdup, Spring?"

Letting the locket fall back down her shirt, Percy Spring turned to the crowd with a bright smile. "Sorry, guys. Fresh round, on the way!" She giggled at the cheer that went up, loading her arms up with fresh drinks as the party powered on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/n: Yep. Finally pulling the trigger on this plot point.
> 
> Don't worry about how short this chapter is. The next one is so close to done, I should have it out before the week is done. Hope everyone's doing okay out there, and I hope you like the chapter.
> 
> See ya at the next one!
> 
> Edit: So, it wasn't until this chapter that I realized I've had Ruby flying in the wrong goddamn direction then the one I wanted her to. (Thank you, Argentyros) I fixed it, but if you go read the previous chapters and think something seems a little off... well, that's why.


	8. Distressed Damsel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Weiss wakes up.

In the dead silence of the moonlit forest, its wildlife went about their night. Deer grazed, wolves hunted, and the owls watched it all. They all gave a wide berth to the prowling Grimm, the beasts' very presence ensuring that they were left alone.

Suddenly, a quick flash of red and green streaked overhead. Grimm and animal alike looked skyward, only to see faint wisps of a light trail already fading. The Grimm let out low growls, hisses, and chirps, feeling the fleeing traces of _Fear_ and _Desperation_ blink past. Before they could act on these feelings, a thunderous boom sounded. Trees were torn bare of their leaves, wildlife scattered in confusion, and Grimm howled in rage as a funnel of wind tore through the forest, continuing its destructive path as it streaked behind the jets of light.

Ruby paid no mind to the trail of chaos she and Penny left in their wake as they tore through the sky. She just kept her eyes on the horizon, waiting for the Manta to pop into view. Every few seconds she would blink, not from the wind buffeting her, but to see the tiny speck of light through the Link, ensuring to her that, despite the vast nothing they flew through, they were flying in the right direction.

...flying.

She was flying.

On the back of a Nevermore. _Her_ Nevermore.

Hers.

Because she summoned it.

A giddy feeling bubbled in her chest.

She'd summoned the Nevermore. And it listened to her. Something Winter said she shouldn't be able to do. Something Weiss _still_ couldn't do. Something impossible.

And yet she did it. And looking back, it wasn't even that hard. Confusing and complicated, for sure. But now that she'd done it, she had little doubt she could do it again. That she could show Weiss.

Weiss was the smartest person she knew. If Ruby could figure out summoning so easily, it had to be because she stumbled through some angle of it Weiss hadn't considered, her or Winter. Once she showed Weiss how she'd done it, she _knew_ the heiress would have no problem picking it up. She could show Weiss how it felt to have the wind in her face, the Nevermore's wings beating beneath her feet.

Because she had to share this with Weiss. With Blake, with Yang. They had to know how incredible this felt, up in the sky, moving faster than she'd ever gone. She'd never moved this fast before, not for more than a few seconds. And while she could feel herself tiring, it was different from usual. There were no aches in her muscles, just a constant faint draining feeling, like she was getting sleepy more than anything.

Not that there was any risk of her falling asleep. How could she, with her blood pumping, the landscape screaming by below her? Her whole body was alive, literally sparking with speed and no sign of slowing down

It was perfect. It was exhilarating! It was... It was…

Muted.

The bubbly feeling in her chest died, and with it the tiny smile that had wormed its way onto her face. Because this? All these feelings? They were tainted. Ruined, because instead of doing the impossible to help her girlfriend's training, she'd forced herself to do it to save her life.

A small voice in the back of her head (one that sounded suspiciously like Yang's), told her that when she caught the person who ruined this for her, she needed to make her anger known. _Loudly._

Beneath her feet, she felt a shudder run through the Nevermore's frame as it let out a low growl, as if reflecting her frustration.

Ruby glanced down at the creature's action. This... was not how Weiss or Winter described how a summon should work. The following orders part, yeah, but...they never mentioned that the summon would have this much... _attitude_.

 _Unless I messed something up making it,_ Ruby thought ruefully. _Wouldn't exactly be a surprise._

Not that it mattered. The Nevermore...

...she really needed a name for the thing. Just calling it The Nevermore, even in her head, just felt off given how it wasn't just another Grimm. What had Yang yelled out when she tackled it before? Speedymore?

_...heh._

_That's actually kind of cute._

Speedymore seemed just as focused on saving Weiss as she was, if the way its glowing silver eyes bored into the horizon-line meant anything. Every now and then it would give a great beat of its wings, its body tensing as it straightened out as to gain even the barest hint of speed.

Movement at her right broke Ruby's thoughts. She glanced over to see Penny carefully tilt her body to the side, gently drifting closer while minding the high speeds. If she minded the blistering wind battering her in the face, she didn't show it.

"Ruby!" she called out over the wind, an electric reverb in her magnified voice. Her eyes glowed brightly with information, the slightest hint of relief cracking through her determined facade. "I'm picking up an Airship signal on my sensors! At our current speed, we will overtake it within fifteen minutes!"

Ruby felt her heart leap even as it hammered away. She looked back towards the starry horizon, dimly aware of the forest thinning out below them, giving way to grassy plains. The hint of a mountain range rose in the distance, and she faintly wondered just how far they'd traveled from Beacon.

She ignored those wandering musings with a vengeance, burying them under one single thought: they were so close.

Ruby gave Penny a nod. She pulled hard on Crescent Rose, hauling herself so she could lean further forward, urging her summon to move faster.

"Let's go, Speedymore!"

In response, the Nevermore let out a screeching roar, its wings beating a furious thunderclap, Penny's engines whirling higher in answer as they streaked through the sky.

_Hang on, Weiss. We're coming for you._

* * *

_Everything was wrong._

_She'd just been wandering the clearing while the others slept, marveling at the strange plant life and distant landscapes when a sharp cry pierced through the peaceful air. She flinched as it echoed through the clearing and Beyond, her ears pinning back and her tail lowering between her legs. For a moment she thought the Beast had returned, but the sound didn't match. The Beast's bellowing was deep, a sound that shook the very ground. This was higher, ear-splitting. Something that made the air quiver and her blood freeze. This was something new._

_Then the shadow passed overhead._

_She hunched down in surprise, her body tensed like a coiled spring. The sky seemed to dim, the colors of the forest muting as she scanned the clearing, searching for any sign of the new creature. But she saw no form, heard no wing-flaps. When a second cry sounded, she bolted back to the others._

_Her heart jumped when she saw them._

_When she'd left them, the three had been slumbering peacefully laying in a haphazard pile under the shade of a nearby pine. Now they'd separated, fitfully twitching in their sleep as they made stressed yips and mewles. The panther and lioness trembled and shook, faint trails of moisture soaking the panther's face, while the wolf's legs kicked and jerked at odd angles randomly, huffing whines passing her lips with every breath._

_Desperate, both for their safety and her fear, she tried to wake them, pawing at their faces and even biting the paw of the lioness. Nothing worked. Letting out a distressed wine, she squeezed her way under the panther's foreleg, pressing tightly against the big cat's chest in the hopes of letting her know that she was not alone. She clenched her eyes shut, wishing that whatever was happening would just end._

_She didn't know how long she stayed like that, listening to their cries as the sky turned grey, the once distant mountains now seeming to loom right over her. This wasn't right. Even when the Beast roamed these woods, it was never like this. This was a nightmare, one she wished she could just wake up from._

…

_Her head shot up, her eyes going wide._

That... that's right. This... this isn't real. This is a dream. _That_ dream. And... and that means-

_She yelped as the paw around her tensed, the panther clutching her closer in it's fitful sleep. She looked up, staring at the large cat as if seeing it for the first time._

_The panther..._ Blake.

_Her head swiveled towards the other two, her breath quickening as the thoughts slotted into place._

_That means... the wolf… is Ruby. And the lioness… Yang!_

_She then looked down at herself, at her white-furred paws and silky plumed tail._

_A fox…_

_Here, I'm a fox. But my name… is Weiss._

My name is Weiss!

_She clenched her eyes shut, putting her paws over her head, ignoring another frightful call from the woods, low and distant._

My name is Weiss! And this... this is _wrong_ , but it's a dream. Just a dream! One I need to wake up from!

Wake up, Weiss.

_**Wake up!** _

* * *

Weiss awoke with a gasp, her chest feeling like it was on fire.

Her body felt sluggish, the now-familiar numbness of painkillers and sleep aids still clearly in her system. When she opened her eyes, she was met with a blurry mass of dark gray dotted with blue lights. Nothing like Beacon's Infirmary or the sickbay of the Atlassian flagship.

As she tried to blink the blurriness out of her eyes, she instinctively went to press a hand against her aching head.

A sudden tightness against her arm stopped it dead, along with her heart.

Now wide awake, Weis frantically looked down at herself. Surprise turned to panic as she saw three straps, two across her midsection and one across her legs, tying her to some kind of gurney. She instinctively pulled against her bonds, her panic growing by the second.

" _ **Please do not struggle against your restraints."**_

Weiss froze at the deep, monotone voice.

" _ **Excessive movement could exacerbate your injuries."**_

Her head snapped to the side, and she was met by a flat featureless face of white metal and black polymer hovering over her.

Weiss flinched back as far as her bond allowed. Her eyes widened as she looked the figure up and down, taking in its sleek frame. "You… you're one of the robots I saw last month," she muttered numbly.

The robot cocked its head to the side, then straightened its posture to attention. _**"Encounter possible. This unit is of the Atlassian Knight-200 line, newly introduced to protect the kingdom and capital of Vale."**_

Shock briefly jolting her from her panic, Weiss frantically looked around. She seemed to be in a circular room, wide enough for 20 people to stand shoulder-to-shoulder. Around the room were four other knights, stationed at even intervals facing her, each standing at attention with rifles at the ready. At the far end of the room was a tapered out section, where two seats faced a large window, one more bot sitting with its back to her.

Her heart thumped hollowly as she focused on the window. It showed a starry night against an unfamiliar mountainous landscape. Mountains that seem to be getting larger.

Closer.

 _This isn't a room,_ she realized with numbing dread. _It's a ship._

"Where…" Weiss rasped as her breathing quickened, the pain in her chest rearing its ugly head. "Where are you taking me?"

The knight seemed to consider her for a moment, then lifted its head, as if breaking eye contact. _**"That information is classified."**_

Weiss could feel the panic overtaking her, her breaths growing sharper and choppier. The last thing she remembered was her team visiting her in the infirmary, drifting off to sleep as Yang recounted some antic involving Nora and Cardin in combat class. Where… where was everyone? Why was she alone? Why-

_Shock. Fear. Hope!_

Weiss's breath hitched. _Ruby?_

* * *

Ruby gasped at the sudden rush of _Confusion, Terror, Panic_ that ripped through the Link. "Weiss," she rasped breathlessly.

"Ruby?" Penny yelled out in alarm as the Nevermore slowed slightly, angling closer to hear better. They were nearly over the mountain range now.

"Weiss is awake!" Ruby called back. She tried to send back some form of _Comfort,_ her chest aching from Feeling Weiss's _Fear._

Penny's eyes widened, then her face hardened with purpose. "We are at ten minutes and closing!" She yelled, eyes locked on the horizon.

Ruby nodded. "Got it. C'mon, Speedy!"

With a shrill cry in acknowledgment, Speedymore picked up speed and the two streaks blazed across the sky.

* * *

_Relief. Fear. Determination. Certainty._

Weiss's pulse slowed slightly as she let Ruby's presence wash over her. She let her eyes slip closed, tilting her head back to peer through the void.

 _Oh… oh, gods,_ she thought when she saw the yellow and violet lights twinkling in the distance. Blake's was positively miniscule, And Yang's!

Just how far from Beacon was she!?

But Ruby… while still a frightful distance away, it was slowly growing by the second. Somehow, Ruby was drawing closer, and somehow… Weiss believed Ruby would save her. Whatever was happening… it was bad, but she wasn't alone. Not really. She had to believe that.

She had to.

Holding desperately to that spark of hope, Weiss took a shaky, steadying breath. She opened her eyes, meeting the passive gaze of the knight looming over her. While she waited for Ruby to arrive, she might as well get some answers, maybe distract the bots if she could. She willed her voice to level as she spoke. "Why am I here?"

The knight tilted its head down to meet her eyes. " _ **You are being transported to the drop off location."**_

Weiss swallowed thickly. "And where is that?"

" _ **That information is classified."**_

Weiss let out a hysteric huff, laying her head back against the gurney in frustration. She wracked her brain, trying to recall as much about these robots as she knew. Hadn't she listened to Winter complain about them before? Before she went to Beacon?

* * *

" _But aren't robot soldiers better than human ones, Winter?"_

" _For large scale combat, perhaps, to help fill the ranks. But I wouldn't trust them with my life. They follow every order to a fault and can be tripped up by simple concepts that no living being would struggle with. They can't react or improvise like you or I can. A living soldier is simply more versatile in every way."_

" _But… that's not what Father says?"_

" _...Father says a lot of things, Weiss."_

* * *

Outside of cringing at her past naivety, Weiss wasn't sure how much use _that_ memory was. Those were complaints Winter always had of the 100 line of knights. The 200s were the latest and greatest the SDC was capable of. Surely those problems had been fixed, right?

…

Weiss struggled against the straps again, before giving up with a huff.

 _It's not like I have any better ideas._ Resigning herself, Weiss took a calming breath, keeping her face flat as she looked back at the knight. _Okay, let's start with something small._ "Why am I restrained?"

The knight didn't even move as it responded. _**"It is standard procedure for passengers in critical condition to be safely secured during flight."**_

Weiss's brow furrowed. "But I'm not _in_ critical condition. I haven't been for a week!"

The knight paused, then said, _ **"Incorrect. Excerpt from Weiss Schnee medical records:"**_ The knight's monotone voice then shifted to that of a clinical female one, one Weiss recognized as that of Ironwood's chief medical officer. _"Patient suffered perforation of the chest cavity from a splintered, aura-infused single-bladed weapon. The patient has been stabilized but remains in critical condition due to severe degenerative damage of the right lung."_

Weiss felt a chill, and not just from hearing just how much damage Taurus had done to her. "Where… where did you get that recording? How do you have my medical records?"

" _ **The medical records of**_ _ **Weiss Schnee**_ _ **were provided to assist these units in the completion of their assigned mission."**_

Weiss held her tongue, thinking over how to word her next question. "And… what mission is that?"

" _ **That information is classified."**_

Weiss cursed under her breath. Out of frustration, she snippily asked, " _Why_ is it classified?"

The knight remained silent for a moment, then replied. _**"The mission objective contains sensitive information about target and mission assigner. Information is classified for the target and mission giver's safety."**_

Weiss perked up, surprised that the knight had given her that much. She thought its words over, considering. Mission _assigner_. _Singular. So… just one person sent these things after me?_ Mulling that possibility over, she hesitantly asked, "Is anybody allowed to know this sensitive information?"

" _ **Selected individuals are listed as administrators for this mission."**_

A thrill traveled through Weiss, sensing an opening. "How do _I_ become an administrator?"

" _ **You must be permitted by a current administrator."**_

 _Got you! Oh, please, please, please…_ "And who are the current administrators?"

There was a painfully long moment where the knight fell silent. It was almost creepy at how intense its featureless face appeared as she held its gaze. Then-

" _ **Active Administrators for Atlassian Knight-200 line: General James Ironwood, Specialist Winter Schnee."**_

Weiss felt her fledgling hopes deflate. Whatever this was, she knew her sister couldn't be involved, not if it meant leaving her alone at these robot's mercy. And she doubted General Ironwood would-

" _ **Default Administrator: SDC CEO Jaques Schnee."**_

Weiss's thoughts ground to a halt, white noise filling her ears. Any sense of accomplishment or cleverness she'd had vanished in an instant.

In almost manic desperation, Weiss listened raptly, waiting, begging, _pleading_ for the knight to say another name, any other name. But it didn't. The knight just looked down at her expectantly, as if waiting for her next question. She stared back with open horror, her pupils shrunken to pinpricks.

"Father?" she breathed, her voice tiny. "My father sent you?"

After a moment, the knight's head shot back up, its posture straightening back to attention. _**"That information is classified."**_

Forget panic. There wasn't even a name for the swirling, sinking sensation ripping through Weiss's gut, the straight ice that ran up her very bones. If her father was the one who did this… if it was him they were taking her to… How? Who would let him? Why would… how could-

 _Because he's Jaques Schnee,_ her mind answered numbly. How many times had she seen, either from a distance or right by his side, how he flaunted, _reveled_ in his influence. How the world worked by _his_ whims, _his_ power. What he said was truth. What he wanted, happened.

And he wanted her, under his heel.

Her breathing grew choppier and harsher, a harsh coughing fit building as her chest ache grew worse and worse. She was hyperventilating, she _knew_ this, but there was a disconnect between her mind and body as every worry and fear she'd agonized over the last half-year was suddenly a reality.

She twisted and turned against her bonds pulling at them desperately. She could feel her throat going raw, aware of panicked sounds leaving her mouth but uncaring how desperate she sounded or what nonsense she said. This couldn't be happening. _This can't be happening!_

_Fear! Worry! Calm. Desperation. Calm._

Weiss froze, staring straight up at the curved ceiling as tears tracked down the side of her face. She sucked in ragged, heavy breaths as she _Felt._

_Calm. Closeness. Determination. Certainty._

Taking deep, shaky breaths, Weiss latched onto Ruby's feelings desperately. Ruby was close.

 _She's close. She's coming. I'm not alone. I am_ not _alone._ Focusing on steadying her breath, Weiss took another look around the ship. Counting the pilot, there were six knights on board. The only doors she saw looked like large sliding doors, likely to exit the craft. So there were only the six. She looked towards the front of the ship, out the viewscreen. The mountain range now loomed closer. At the base of the largest one looked like the skyline of a city, but she saw no lights. Where-

Weiss shut down those thoughts. The where didn't matter. It was the who that mattered. And… and Ruby wouldn't let her reach him.

...unless she didn't make it in time. If they took her to her father before Ruby caught up.

And then Ruby… would have to face her father.

Weiss's thoughts stopped. The world dimmed at the edges, her eyes going wide.

A flash went through Weiss's head, of everything her father had put her through… and put Ruby in her place.

A cold pit formed in her stomach.

Which then _ignited_.

Weiss's face cleared, her brow furrowing. She closed her eyes, her mind racing.

 _Think, Weiss. No weapons, no Dust, so… Semblances. Glyphs? No, there's nothing I could affect with them. Superspeed's useless, even if my chest wasn't killing me right now. Blake's clones? As a distraction maybe, but they can't touch anything without Dust. Maybe I could use them to confuse the knights into attacking each other? Are they that dumb? Oh, even if they are, it wouldn't matter. Unless I can break out of these straps, I'm never getting off this ship!_ She pulled against the straps again with all her might. There was just the slightest hint of give in them, enough to let her breathe easily enough. If she was just a little bit stronger, she-

Weiss's eyes shot open, hope bursting from her chest.

Of course. It was so simple, she could have hit herself.

In fact… "Excuse me?"

The knight looked back down, a bit quicker than previously. The noticeable rasp in Weiss's voice might have something to do with that. _**"Yes?"**_

"I… I have another question," she wheezed out.

" _ **State your inquiry."**_

"Could you-" Weiss sucked in a harsh breath, then broke into a painful coughing fit. When it calmed down, she looked up at the knight pitifully, keeping her head flat against the gurney. "Could you come closer so I don't have to speak so loudly? My chest…" she trailed off, her eyes wet.

The knight processed this for a moment, then leaned forward over the gurney.

Weiss swallowed. "A… a little closer, please?"

The knight shuffled forward, its feet clanking against the floor.

"A… a little more?" Weiss licked her dry lips, her heart pounding painfully in her chest.

With one more solid step, the knight loomed over Weiss's body, lowering its head just a few inches away from hers. _**"Is this sufficient?"**_

Weiss clenched her hands tight, her nails digging into her palms. She stared right into the smooth black polymer of the knight's face… and smiled at the red glow that reflected back at her.

"Perfect."

And with all her might, Weiss rammed her forehead into the knight's face.

Stars erupted in Weiss's vision as she slammed her eyes shut, her head swimming from the impact. Despite everything, she couldn't stop from feeling like an idiot.

The knight barely budged from the impact, merely standing back up like nothing had happened. _**"Please refrain from self-harm. Future attempts to damage this unit or yourself will be met with increased measures to secure the patient for your own safety."**_

Weiss said nothing, her attention stuck on the blinding pain right between her eyes.

Then her heart leaped as the pain _changed_.

A wave of heat burst from her forehead, which quickly seemed to ripple out across her body, enveloping her head before moving down her torso, spreading to her limbs. The pain quickly started to fade as a cold sensation quickly crossed her skin. She managed to open her eyes a sliver, watching as the veins in her hands suddenly flashed visible in the faintest pale blue.

Seconds passed, Weiss ignoring everything except the coolness of her skin and the heat in her bones. Heat that was quickly gaining intensity.

There was a clank of metal, the knight cocking its head to the side. _**"Unknown aura fluctuation detected. What are you attempting?"**_

It took Weiss a full minute to respond. By then, her whole body was trembling. A ripple suddenly ran down her hair, the white strands gaining a pale bluish tinge, sparkling ice crystals trailing from them down to the floor.

_**"External temperature dropping to dangerous levels. Please cease aura fluctuation before you freeze."** _

The knight's words startled a pained giggle from Weiss. "Freeze?" She laughed again, body trembling from the inferno inside her. "When I'm like this, I don't freeze."

With a furious scowl, Weiss opened her eyes, red orbs blazing.

"I _burn_."

With all her might, Weiss pulled against the straps holding her down.

The metal buckles shattered like ice, the fibers tearing like tissue paper. The pressure finally off her, Weiss rolled off the gurney into a crouch, right at the feet of the knight.

Startled, the knight took a step back, bringing its rifle up. Weiss didn't know if its ammo was lethal or not, and she didn't wait to find out. Pushing some of her newfound power to her legs, she launched herself shoulder-first at the knight.

The knight stumbled at the impact, its arms being thrown out and it's rifle skittering across the floor.

Despite her desperation, Weiss didn't lose her common sense. No matter how much strength she had, flesh would give way to metal. She knew if she punched into the knight, she'd likely lose her hand when she went to pull it back. So, she tried a different approach.

As the knight stumbled back, Weiss reached up with both arms. Yelling in strain, she grabbed the knight's head with both hands, planted her foot against its chest, and _pulled_.

There was a screech of tearing metal, the knight letting out a startled, garbled hiss as its head came away in a burst of sparks. Motor control lost, the knight's body started to fall back. Weiss leapt back off its chest into the air. She caught sight of the other knights rushing forward, and quickly acted. Pulling her right arm back, she forced all her remaining strength into it as she threw the knight's head right into the chest of the nearest approaching target. The knight crumpled at its chest caved in, sparks and shrapnel exploding from the impact.

_Two down, four left._

Her satisfaction died quickly, however, as the heat in her bones quickly fled, the power she'd built up already running dry. Her hair and eyes fading back to normal, she slammed chest first to the floor of the ship in an ungraceful heap. She wheezed as the wind was knocked out of her, chest burning. She forced herself to her knees, hearing the clanking of the remaining knights rushing forward. She looked up to see the two on her right and one on her left raising their rifles. Eyes going wide, she curved her fingers and threw her hands out to the side.

Two glyphs formed between her and the knights right when they pulled the trigger. Electricity burst from the guns, sputtering out against the spinning glyphs. Weiss winced at the sensation but kept the glyphs up. _Okay, they're stunning weapons. So after a few more rounds, they'll start recharging, and-_

Weiss gasped as she was grasped from behind, two cold metal arms wrapping around her chest and pinning her arms to her sides. "No!" she yelled as she was pulled off her feet.

" _ **Please cease resisting,"**_ that same monotone voice droned behind her. She looked over her shoulder, seeing that it was the pilot that had grabbed her, the screen in front of the unmanned controls flashing "AUTO-PILOT" in bold green lettering. _**"You will only cause more damage to yourself."**_

"Want to bet!?" Weiss yelled back. Her eyes and hair glowing again, she threw her head back against the knight's chest. She gasped as pain erupted at the back of her skull, her vision swimming. But she felt the heat run down her skin and into her bones, reveling as it reached burning levels within seconds. She flexed her arms out, straining against the knight's hold. She pushed out of its hold just enough to get her arms out. Grasping the knight by the wrists, she braced both her feet against its thighs and pushed with all her might.

The knight's arms tore away at the shoulder, letting Weiss fall to the floor. The armless bot stumbled back, only to trip on the body of its headless brethren and fall back, flailing helplessly on the ground.

With her remaining strength, Weiss dropped one arm and grasped the other with both hands, lashing out with the other, swinging it at the nearest knight. But the knight flinched out of the way, Weiss's swing going wide. She tried to rush forward for another blow, but a metal hand grasped around her forearm and clenched tightly. Weiss gasped against the crushing grip and dropped the arm.

Weiss pulled back against the knight's grip, making it stumble forward. She tried to swing her fist at it, injury be damned, but found that arm grabbed by another knight.

"No!" Weiss struggled as the two knights pulled her off her feet, holding her up between them. Weiss kicked her feet desperately in the air, flailing her arms as best she could but to no luck. The power she'd built up burned out, and they were holding her too far away to strike at anything.

With her now restrained, Weiss watched helplessly as the one knight left not holding her went back to the controls for the ship. _Damn it!_ she cursed in her head. _Come on, think! There has to be something more I can-_

Her thoughts came to an abrupt end as the entire craft jolted, and a giant red talon stabbed its way through the roof.

 _...what?_ Weiss thought numbly, staring up the sparking crimson claws poking through the metal.

 _ **"Grimm detected!"**_ The armless knight shouted from its place on the floor.

 _ **"Attempting evasive maneuvers!"**_ The mobile knight replied as it jumped into the driver's seat, pulling hard on the controls.

The ship pitched down hard, its engine whining against the strain. Weiss tried to struggle as the knights holding her shifted their footing against the ship's movements, but their grip held firm.

Through the viewscreen, Weiss saw darkened skyscrapers streak past as the ship leaned back and forth. The talon in the ceiling tensed as it dug in, the shrieking cry of a Grimm shaking the craft.

Suddenly, a green beam flashed past the viewscreen. The screech of rending steel pierced Weiss's eardrums, the glowing tips of four blades slicing around the talon. Another cry sounded, and the talon tensed. With a mighty jolt, the roof of the ship was torn off.

Weiss swung helplessly in the arms of the knights, watching the stars streak by the hole as the ship spun. The knight at the helm worked frantically to right the ship. Once the world stopped spinning, Weiss looked through the hole and _stared_.

Standing out starkly against the starry night, a glowing crimson Nevermore flapped in place before the hovering Manta, rose petals and sparks raining from its wings with every flap. And standing on its head glared down Ruby Rose, red cloak billowing in the wind. Crescent Rose's blade glinted in the moonlight, held in Ruby's battle stance. Above Ruby hovered Penny, backlit by the shattered moon as her blades fanned out like a deadly halo.

And despite the harsh look on her face, across the Link, Weiss could Feel Ruby _sing._

 _Relief. Joy. Determination. Purpose_.

"I'm only going to say this once."

Ruby's voice rang out above the wind. With the twitch of a finger, Crescent Rose started to transform, Ruby's eyes never leaving the knights.

"Give."

Now in rifle form, Ruby slammed a magazine into Crescent's base.

"Her."

Ruby raised the scope to her eye, which Weiss could have sworn _glowed_.

_**"Back."** _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is no stable ground in these lands. Only cliffs from which to hang!
> 
> Seriously, I know I do this a lot, but if I think a chapter's running long and I see a good stopping point, I have to take it. Otherwise, this story would be one long incoherent ramble of a text document I wrote nonstop five years ago.
> 
> Yeah. Five years. I kinda forgot about that with all the... everything that was last year, but this previous Christmas? Fifth anniversary of this story's first chapter. That's... kinda nuts. Thank you to everyone who's been there from the start and everyone who's shown up along the way. We've got a long way before this trainwreck is over, and I hope you'll see through it with me to the end.
> 
> See ya at the next one!

**Author's Note:**

> Betaed by Ril_Locke [(Covert Weapon)](https://www.fanfiction.net/u/926755/Covert-Weapon)  
> [LiLaL'S TV Tropes Page](https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Fanfic/LinkedInLifeAndLove)  
> [Cross-posted on FF.net](https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11689623/1/Linked-in-Life-and-Love)


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